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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]
Facilitated diffusion may occur through three mechanisms: uniport, symport, or antiport. The difference between each mechanism depends on the direction of transport, in which uniport is the only transport not coupled to the transport of another solute. [4] Uniporter carrier proteins work by binding to one molecule or substrate at a time ...
Unlike channel proteins which only transport substances through membranes passively, carrier proteins can transport ions and molecules either passively through facilitated diffusion, or via secondary active transport. [12] A carrier protein is required to move particles from areas of low concentration to areas of high concentration.
There are two types of active transport: primary active transport that uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and secondary active transport that uses an electrochemical gradient. This process is in contrast to passive transport , which allows molecules or ions to move down their concentration gradient, from an area of high concentration to an area ...
The two ways in which glucose uptake can take place are facilitated diffusion (a passive process) and secondary active transport (an active process which on the ion-gradient which is established through the hydrolysis of ATP, known as primary active transport). Active transport is the movement of ions or molecules going against the ...
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, they are repelled by the hydrophobic sections of permeable membrane, therefore they need to be assisted by the membrane proteins.
An example of an antiporter mediated transport protein is the sodium-calcium antiporter, a transport protein involved in keeping the cytoplasmic concentration of calcium ions in the cells, low. This transport protein is an antiporter system because it transports three sodium ions across the plasma membrane in exchange for a calcium ion, which ...
As a result, symporters and antiporters are characterized by a slower transport speed, moving between 10 2 and 10 4 molecules per second. Compare this to ion channels that provide a means for facilitated diffusion to occur and allow between 10 7 and 10 8 ions pass through the plasma membrane per second. [2]