THE PERMEABILITY OF THE PLASMA MEMBRANE

Plasma membrane

Is selectively permeable or semi-permeable

Some substances can move across the membrane freely while others cannot.

Two factors that determine whether substances can pass through this membrane: 1.Size of the molecule

2.Polarity of the molecule.

E.g. of substances that can pass through the plasma membrane:

Lipid-soluble molecules such as fatty acids and glycerol, Oxygen, carbon dioxide water ( because the molecules are small enough to slide between the phospholipid bilayer.) Large water-soluble such as glucose and amino acids cannot move through the plasma membrane, unless aided by carrier protein.

Remember, pore protein allow only small water-soluble molecules and ions to pass through the membrane.
Carrier protein have sites that can bind the specific molecules, such as glucose molecules, before transporting them across the plasma membrane.

There are 2 types of movement of substance:

1. Passive transport e.g. Simple Diffusion, Osmosis and facilitated diffusion.

2. Active transport- e.g. Carrier proteins,

Passive transportation
(does not require energy)
Simple Diffusion Osmosis Facilitated diffusion

All 3 passive transports have the following characteristics: a. They do not require energy. b.A medium such as water is required.
c. The movement follows a concentration gradient, from a place of high concentration to that of low concentration. d. Increase in temperature will increase the rate of movement. e. Net movement of solute stops when equilibrium is reached.

1. SIMPLE DIFFUSION Definition- is the net movement of molecules or ions from the higher concentration region to the lower concentration region.
Thus, going down a concentration gradient until an equilibrium is achieved. The concentration gradient- provide energy to move the molecules into or out of the cells. E.g. the diffusion of sodium, potassium and organic ions such as glucose and amino acids to the cell or from the cellular cell .

Outside cell High concentration

oxygen

Low concentration Inside cell

Mechanism of diffusion

Example of simple diffusion place a drop of dye into a beaker of Water, the dye and water molecules move in all directions. The area where there is a drop of dye, has a higher concentration of the dye molecules.

These molecules move from the area of higher concentration to the area with fewer dye molecules.
The diffusion process continues until a dynamic equilibrium is reached.

Soluble substances that move across the plasma membrane by simple diffusion are:
1. Small uncharged polar (water soluble) molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. 2. Substances that dissolve in fats such as fatty acids, glycerol and also vitamins A,D,E and K. 3. E.g. of simple diffusion occurs : - at the alveolus in the lungs during gaseous exchange. - during gaseous exchange between the body cells and blood capillaries.

2. OSMOSIS
Definition:

it is the net movement of freely moving water molecules

from

region of low solute concentration to a region of high solute concentration

through

a semi-permeable membrane.
High water concentration refers to a solution with a low concentration of solute in the water. Low water concentration refers to a solution with a high concentration of solute in the water.

semi-permeable membrane
Permeable to water

But impermeable to certain solutes such as sucrose/protein molecules.

The solute molecules are too large to pass through the pores in the membrane, so equilibrium can only be achieved by the movement of water molecules.

State the net movement of water???

An example of osmosis is the absorption of water by root hairs of a plant.

Most water soluble or molecules which are not soluble in lipids

Such as

Ions, nucleic acids, amino acids and glucose

cannot pass

Through the phospholipid bilayer of the plasma membrane

To overcome this problem,

these substances pass through the membrane with the aid of Carrier proteins and Pores proteins.
This process

Facilitated diffusion.

FACILLITATED DIFFUSION
Definition

transportation or diffusion of certain molecules through the cell membrane with the assistance of a carrier protein & pore protein in the cell membrane.
This process

does not require energy and this particle transport through a gradient concentration.
it is the movement of substances across the membrane with the help of carrier protein & pore protein.

Without proteins, the particles do not diffuse through cell membrane.

Pore/channel protein
Simply provide corridors that allows small dissolved particle, especially ions to cross the membrane.
High concentration of substance e.g. ion

Low concentration of substance e.g. ion

A channel protein (purple) has a channel through which water molecules or specific solute can pass.

Carrier protein
Carrier protein seem to undergo a subtle change in shape that somehow translocates the solute-binding site across the membrane.

A carrier protein alternates between two conformation, moving a solute across the membrane as the shape of the protein changes.

The protein can transport the solute in either direction, with the net movement being down the concentration gradient of the solute

Carrier Proteins
1. Diffusion occur only with the help of carrier protein. 2. Allows larger uncharged polar molecules (molecules insoluble in fats) such as glucose and amino acids to cross the membrane. 3. Each carrier protein moves a specific substances across the membrane.

The mechanism for carrier protein 1. Solute moves to the binding site of the specific carrier protein. 2. The solute binds to the carrier protein at the binding site and triggers the carrier protein to change its shape. 3. The carrier protein changes its shape to allow the solute across the membrane. 4. The carrier protein returns back to its original. 5. The solute can be transported by carrier proteins in either direction but the net movement is always down the concentration gradient.

FACILLITATED DIFFUSION
e.g. glucose Examples is the movement of glucose into and out of the red blood cells. It requires Channel proteins as glucose is hydrophilic and too big to diffuse across the phospholipid layer

High concentration of molecules

Low concentration of molecules

 Glucose molecules can attach to the channel protein from both side of the membrane.
Therefore,

the net movement of the glucose will follow the concentration gradient depending on the chance of the molecule got in or not before the channel protein changes its shape.

Examples of facilitated diffusion are

1. The transportation of glucose, amino acids and mineral ions, across the membrane of the villus at the ileum and also the body cells. 2. Glucose and amino acid carrier protein

3. Mineral ions pore protein

ACTIVE TRANSPORT

It is the movement of substances across membranes.

Which requires energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) that is generated during respiration in the mitochondria

1.Other characteristics include the following: a. Carrier protein or channel protein is required. b. Each type of carrier protein is specific for one type of substance to carry. c. The carrier protein has an active site which binds to a particular molecule or ion and another active site which binds to the ATP molecule.

d. The carrier protein changes shape when the phosphate group from the ATP molecule binds to it. Then, the solute is moved across the membrane.

e. It will go against concentration gradient, meant, when there are a lot of the substances inside the cell, more can be taken in.
f. The process will only stop when there is no more of the substance to transport. g. Active transport result in the accumulation of or elimination of molecules and ions from the cells.

Carrier proteins
are present

animal cells
where

involved

[ K+] inside the cell is always higher than the concentration outside the cell,
while

[Na+] outside the cell is always higher than the concentration inside the cells. active transport are often called pumps
just like water pump which use energy to move water against gravity.

Carrier protein (in animal) also called sodium-potassium pumps

help to maintain the concentration gradients

by pumping sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell.
Remember!!!! Active transport go against concentration gradient, means movement of molecules or ions is from low concentration to that of high concentration.

Example of the process for active transport:

1. Minerals ions are actively absorbed into the root hair cells or young epidermal cells of the root.
Digested food substances like glucose and amino. Acids are actively taken into the epithelial cells of the small intestine.

2. 3.

4.

Sodium-potassium pump maintains a potential difference between the inside and the outside of nerve cells.