Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Passive diffusion across a cell membrane.. Passive transport is a type of membrane transport that does not require energy to move substances across cell membranes. [1] [2] Instead of using cellular energy, like active transport, [3] passive transport relies on the second law of thermodynamics to drive the movement of substances across cell membranes.
Illustration of a eukaryotic cell membrane Comparison of a eukaryotic vs. a prokaryotic cell membrane. The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space).
As mentioned above, passive diffusion is a spontaneous phenomenon that increases the entropy of a system and decreases the free energy. [5] The transport process is influenced by the characteristics of the transport substance and the nature of the bilayer. The diffusion velocity of a pure phospholipid membrane will depend on: concentration ...
Facilitated diffusion in cell membrane, showing ion channels and carrier proteins. Facilitated diffusion (also known as facilitated transport or passive-mediated transport) is the process of spontaneous passive transport (as opposed to active transport) of molecules or ions across a biological membrane via specific transmembrane integral proteins. [1]
Aquaporin. Aquaporins, also called water channels, are channel proteins from a larger family of major intrinsic proteins that form pores in the membrane of biological cells, mainly facilitating transport of water between cells. [1] The cell membranes of a variety of different bacteria, fungi, animal and plant cells contain aquaporins through ...
One example of passive diffusion is the gas exchange that occurs between the oxygen in the blood and the carbon dioxide present in the lungs. [4] Facilitated diffusion is the movement of polar molecules down the concentration gradient with the assistance of membrane proteins. Since the molecules associated with facilitated diffusion are polar ...
A membrane transport protein is a membrane protein involved in the movement of ions, small molecules, and macromolecules, such as another protein, across a biological membrane. Transport proteins are integral transmembrane proteins; that is they exist permanently within and span the membrane across which they transport substances.
Uniporter. Uniporters, also known as solute carriers or facilitated transporters, are a type of membrane transport protein that passively transports solutes (small molecules, ions, or other substances) across a cell membrane. [1] It uses facilitated diffusion for the movement of solutes down their concentration gradient from an area of high ...