4.2 Cell transport mechanisms Flashcards
What is the purpose of a cell surface membrane?
- Maintains integrity of cell.
- Barrier for substances entering + leaving cell.
What is the cell surface membrane made almost entirely of?
- Protein + lipid.
- Small + variable amount of carbohydrate.
What is a model to show a model of the molecular structure of the cell surface membrane called?
- Fluid mosaic model.
Why is it called a fluid mosaic model?
- Mosaic - proteins are scattered.
- Fluid - components are able to move past each other in a linear plane.
What are the components of a cell surface membrane (6)?
- Lipid bilayer.
- Integral proteins - embedded in lipid bilayer (carrier + channel proteins).
- Cholesterol.
- Glycoproteins.
- Glycolipids.
- Peripheral proteins ( attached to surface of lipid bilayer).
What is important to remember about energy transfer in cells?
- We cannot create or destroy energy.
What does ATP stand for?
- Adenosine triphosphate.
What type of molecule is ATP?
- A nucleotide.
What are the components of ATP?
- Adenine.
- Ribose.
- 3 Phophates.
What is ATP formed from?
- ADP and phosphate ion (Pi).
Why is ATP referred to as an ‘energy currency’?
- Can be used for many purposes + is constantly recycled.
Why is ATP special?
- Reservoir of stored chemical energy.
- Common intermediate between energy-yielding + energy-requiring reactions.
What are some examples of energy-requiring reactions?
- Synthesis of cellulose from glucose.
- Synthesis of proteins from amino acids.
- Contraction of muscle fibres.
How is ATP converted to ADP?
- Hydrolysis of ATP leads to ADP + phosphate.
What does ATP mostly react with?
- Other metabolites + forms of phosphorylated intermediates, making them more reactive.
What are 3 important features of ATP?
- Move easily within cells by facilitated diffusion.
- Involved in cellular respiration + many reactions of metabolism.
- Transfer energy in relatively small amounts, sufficient for individual reactions.
What substances get moved across cell surface membranes (5)?
- Water, respiratory gases, nutrients, ions + excretory products.
What other processes happen across cell surface membranes?
- Receptors - recognition of hormones, antigens + cells.
- Secretion - neurotransmitter substance + hormones.
- Enzymes secreted.
What is diffusion?
- Free passage of molecules (+ atoms + ions) from a region of their high concentration to a region of low concentration until they are evenly distributed.
What is kinetic energy?
- Energy possessed by a particle because it is in continuous motion.
When does diffusion occur across cell surface membranes?
- Fully permeable to solute - lipid bilayer permeable to non-polar substances.
- Pores in membrane - channel proteins + tiny spaces between phospholipid molecules.
Why is facilitated diffusion used?
- For substances otherwise unable to move across cell surface membrane.
How does facilitated diffusion work?
- Molecules of globular proteins that form pores of channels.
Where does the energy for facilitated diffusion come from?
- Kinetic energy from all molecules involved.
- Energy from metabolism is not required.