L1-12: Membrane transport Flashcards
What are the different mechanisms of movement across membranes?
Passive diffusion (through membrane)
Facilitated diffusion (Ion channels and uniporters)
Secondary active transport (Co and counter transporters)
Primary active transport (ATP)
What does CFTR stand for?
Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator
What diseases do defects in CFTR lead to?
Cystic fibrosis and forms of secretory diarrhoea
What are examples of macrotransfer?
Exo and endocytosis
What are the most permeable molecules that will pass through the plasma membrane?
Hydrophobic molecules (O2, N2, CO2 and steroid hormones)
How is the equilibrium potential determined?
Using the Nernst equation
What molecules is resting membrane potential determined by?
Sodium and potassium ions
What can artificial semi-permeable membranes be used for?
Specifically permeable to one or more ions
Measure charge across the membrane
What does the movement of ions depend on?
The electrochemical gradient
What constants does the Nernst equation use?
Gas constant and Faraday constant
What does the Nernst equation measure?
It predicts the equilibrium potential based on concentration of that ion across the membrane
How can membrane potential be measured when multiple ions are involved?
Using Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz (GHK)
What is the ratio of sodium and potassium in non-excitable cells?
Sodium: Potassium
1:2
Nerve/muscle cells 1:25
How can ion channels properties be measured?
Using voltage clamp
How is a voltage clamp used?
Holding voltage is set
Voltage controlled by electronic feedback circuit
Channels open/close as normal (apparatus compensates for changes)
Voltage then stepped and current required to hold voltage is measured (current=total ionic current flowing across membrane)
Why is voltage clamp useful?
Allows a detailed measurement and analysis of electrical activity across a tissue, cell or artificial membrane mediated by specialised ion chancels and electrogenic carriers
What is a current clamp?
Controls amplitude of injected current via microelectrode and allows voltage to vary
How does a current clamp work?
Current clamp circuit controls amplitude using microelectrode
Amplifier records voltage generated by the cell
Why are current clamps used?
To study how a cell responds when electric current enters a cell
Who was the voltage clamp developed by?
Cole and Marmont 1930s-1940s (developed by Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley 1950s)
What is the patch clamp?
A recording pipette that physically isolates a patch of the membrane
Allows the measurement of current flow through single ion channel
What is the basis of patch clamp?
Formation of a high resistance seal between membrane and micropipette
Giga-seal means current flowing through ion channels in patch can be recorded with minimal noise (could be swamped by background electrical noise)
What are the different types of secondary active transport?
Co-transport - movement of solute coupled to movement of another down its concentration gradient
Counter-transport - coupled movement of two or more solutes in opposite directions
How does driving force allow substances to pass through the membrane?
Using electrochemical gradient (sum of chemical potential energy differences and charge differences)