Senior High School

NOT

General Biology 1
Quarter 3 - Module 6
Cell: the basic unit of life

Author: Romer T. Aguirre, Mark Richie S. Lasque

 Module 6
This module has seven (1) lesson:
• Lesson 6- Transport Mechanism

What I Need to Know

After going through this module, you are expected to:
1 Describe the structural components of the cell membrane (STEM_BIO11/12-Ig-h-11)
2 Relate the structure and composition of the cell membrane to its function
(STEM_BIO11/12-Ig-h-12)
3 Explain transport mechanisms in cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, active
transport) (STEM_BIO11/12-Ig-h-13)
4 Differentiate exocytosis and endocytosis (STEM_BIO11/12-Ig-h-14)

Performance Standards:
The learners should be able to construct a cell membrane model from indigenous
or recyclable materials.

Transport
Mechanism
Lesson 6

Introduction:

With the pandemic today in the Philippines, you can just imagine our front liners and law
enforcers at the check points of a city or security guards at the mall entrances (Fig. 7.a) as
plasma membranes (cell membranes) which have a lot of things to do such as permitting who‘ll
enter the establishment (represents the cell) or not and even exiting is checked as well;
Carrying goods in a truck or individuals on a motorcycle towards a particular cordoned area
which depicts different means or ways on how materials are transported in and out of the cell
- thus the transport mechanisms.

In cellular biology, membrane transport refers to the collection of mechanisms that regulate
the passage of solutes such as ions and small molecules through biological membranes, which
are lipid bilayers that contain proteins embedded in them.

Plasma membrane (Cell Membrane) plays a vital role in the transport mechanisms and
separates the living cell from its surroundings. To perform these roles, it needs lipids, which
make a semi-permeable barrier between the cell and its environment. It also needs proteins,
which are involved in cross-membrane transport and cell communication, and carbohydrates

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 (sugars and sugar chains), which decorate both the proteins and lipids and help cells recognize
each other.

Fig. 7.a Even in a mall or at the checkpoints, the people and objects move from one location to another; they
cross or are contained within certain boundaries. Analogously, a cell membrane‘s functions involve movement
within the cell and across the boundaries in the process of intracellular and intercellular activities. Just like the
law enforcers or security guards, they allow some substances to pass through, but not others.

Structural Components of the Cell Membrane

The modern understanding of the cellular or plasma membrane is referred to as the fluid mosaic
model or fluid mosaics of lipids and proteins. It is composed of a bilayer of phospholipids, with their
hydrophobic, fatty acid tails in contact with each other (Fig. 7.d). The landscape of the membrane is
studded with proteins, some of which span the membrane. Some of these proteins serve to transport
materials into or out of the cell. Carbohydrates are attached to some of the proteins and lipids on the
outward-facing surface of the membrane (Fig. 7.b.), forming complexes which function is to identify
the cell to other cells. Cell membranes enclose and define the borders of cells, but rather than being
a static bag, they are dynamic and constantly in flux.

Fig. 7.b. Structural Component of Cellular Membrane

Fig. 7.c. In 1935, Davson-Danielli, the sandwich model of membrane structure stated that the membrane was made up of
a phospholipid bilayer sandwiched between two protein layers.

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Fig. 7.d. In 1972, S. J. Singer and G. Nicolson proposed that the membrane is a mosaic of proteins dispersed within the
bilayer, with only the hydrophilic regions exposed to water.

The Fluidity of the membrane is due to temperature, the configuration of the unsaturated fatty
acid tails (some kinked or form a sharp twist by double bonds), the presence of cholesterol embedded
in the membrane, and the mosaic nature of the proteins and protein-carbohydrate combinations, which
are not firmly fixed in place.
Key Takes of the Fluid Nature of the CM:
• Phospholipids in the plasma membrane can move within the bilayer (Fig. 7.e)
• Most of the lipids, and some proteins, drift laterally
• Rarely does a molecule flip-flop transversely across the membrane

Fig. 7.e.

Lateral movement occurs 107 Flip-flopping across the membrane is

times per second. rare (~ once per month).

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• As temperatures cool, membranes switch from a fluid state to a solid state.
• The temperature at which a membrane solidifies depends on the types of lipids. • Membranes rich in
unsaturated fatty acids are more fluid than those rich in saturated fatty acids. (Fig. 7.f.)
• Membranes must be fluid to work properly; they are usually about as fluid as salad
Oil.
Fig. 7.f. The type of hydrocarbon tails in phospholipids – Affects the fluidity of the cell membrane

Fluid Viscous

Unsaturated hydrocarbon tails Saturated hydrocarbon tails

( a) Unsaturated versus
saturated hydrocarbon tails

( b) Cholesterol within the

animal cell membrane Cholesterol
• The steroid cholesterol has different effects on membrane fluidity at different temperatures.
• At warm temperatures (such as 37°C), cholesterol restrains movement of Phospholipids.
• At cool temperatures, it maintains fluidity by preventing tight packing.
Structural Component of the Cell Membrane (Plasma Membrane)

COMPONENT LOCATION FEATURE/FUNCTION

• the most abundant lipid in

Phospholipids Main fabric of the membrane the plasma membrane
• are amphipathic molecules
Tucked between the hydrophobic Dampen effects of
Cholesterol
tails of the membrane phospholipids temperature
Embedded in the phospholipid
Transport of substance
Integral Proteins bilayer; may or may not extend
through membrane
through both layers
On the inner or outer surface of the
Peripheral Proteins phospholipid bilayer, but not Cell recognition
embedded in its hydrophobic core
Attached to proteins or lipids on • Cell recognition
the extracellular side of the • Effective interaction with the
Carbohydrate Chains
membrane (forming acqueous environment
glycoproteins and glycolipids

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Terminology:
Amphiphilic or Amphipathic
• molecule possessing a polar or charged area and a nonpolar or uncharged area capable of
interacting with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic environments
Fluid mosaic model
• describes the structure of the plasma membrane as a mosaic of components including
phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, glycoproteins, and glycolipids (sugar chains attached to
proteins or lipids, respectively), resulting in a fluid character (fluidity)
Glycolipid
• combination of carbohydrates and lipids
Glycoprotein
• combination of carbohydrates and proteins
Hydrophilic
• molecule with the ability to bond with water; ―water-loving‖
Hydrophobic
• molecule that does not have the ability to bond with water; ―water-hating‖
Integral protein
• protein integrated into the membrane structure that interacts extensively with the hydrocarbon
chains of membrane lipids and often spans the membrane; these proteins can be removed only by
the disruption of the membrane by detergents
Peripheral protein
• protein found at the surface of a plasma membrane either on its exterior or interior side; these
proteins can be removed (washed off of the membrane) by a high-salt wash

The Structure and Composition of the Cell Membrane relation to its Function
The plasma membrane protects the cell from its external environment, mediates cellular
transport, and transmits cellular signals.
• The principal components of the plasma membrane are lipids (phospholipids and cholesterol),
proteins, and carbohydrates.
• The plasma membrane protects intracellular components from the extracellular environment.
• The plasma membrane mediates cellular processes by regulating the materials that enter and
exit the cell.
• The plasma membrane carries markers that allow cells to recognize one another and can
transmit signals to other cells via receptors.

The plasma membrane (also known as the cell membrane or cytoplasmic membrane) is a
biological membrane that divides the interior of a cell from its outside environment. (Figure 7.g)
The primary function of the plasma membrane is to protect the cell from its surroundings.
Composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins, the plasma membrane is selectively
permeable to ions and organic molecules and regulates the movement of substances in and out of
cells. Plasma membranes must be very flexible in order to allow certain cells, such as red blood cells
and white blood cells, to change shape as they pass through narrow capillaries.
The plasma membrane also plays a role in anchoring the cytoskeleton to provide shape and
integrity to the cell, and in attaching to the extracellular matrix and other cells to help group cells
together to form tissues. The membrane also maintains the cell potential.
In short, if the cell is represented today as a COVID FREE-CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, then the
plasma membrane is the checkpoints with the frontliners and law enforcers that provides protective

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 and territorial structure for the city inside, depicting separation or barrier, regulates which people leave
and enter the city, and conveys messages to and from neighbouring cities.
Just as an unguarded check point in the surrounding barrier can be a disaster for the city in
today‘s crisis, like a rupture in the plasma membrane causes the cell to lyse and die.

Fig. 7.g. Detailed Image of Cell Membrane Structure in a Cell

Activity 1
Identify the structural components of the cell membrane and provide the boxes with the best answers

1. 2.

8.
3.
4. 6. 7.
5.

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Cellular Signaling/ Recognition’s relation to the Plasma Membrane
Among the most sophisticated functions of the plasma membrane is its ability to transmit signals
via complex proteins. These proteins can be receptors, which work as receivers of extracellular inputs
and as activators of intracellular processes, or markers, which allow cells to recognize each other.
Membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and
growth factors, which then trigger intracellular responses. Some viruses, such as Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), can hijack these receptors to gain entry into the cells, causing
infections.
Membrane markers allow cells to recognize one another, which is vital for cellular signaling
processes that influence tissue and organ formation during early development. This marking function
also plays a later role in the ―self‖-versus-―nonself‖ distinction of the immune response. Marker
proteins on human red blood cells, for example, determine blood type (A, B, AB, or O).
Terminology:
Receptor
A protein on a cell wall that binds with specific molecules so that they can be absorbed into the
cell.

Cellular Transport Mechanisms’ relation to the Plasma Membrane

The movement of a substance across the selectively permeable plasma membrane can be
either ―passive‖—i.e., occurring without the input of cellular energy —or ―active‖—i.e., its transport
requires the cell to expend energy.
The cell employs a number of transport mechanisms that involve biological membranes:
1. Passive osmosis and diffusion: transports gases (such as O2 and CO2) and other small
molecules and ions
2. Transmembrane protein channels and transporters: transports small organic molecules such
as sugars or amino acids
3. Endocytosis: transports large molecules (or even whole cells) by engulfing them
4. Exocytosis: removes or secretes substances such as hormones or enzymes.

Transport Mechanisms in Cells (Diffusion, Osmosis, Facilitated Transport, Active Transport)

to its Function

Plasma membranes must allow certain substances to enter and leave a cell, and prevent some
harmful materials from entering and some essential materials from leaving. In other words, plasma
membranes are selectively permeable—they allow some substances to pass through, but not others.
If they were to lose this selectivity, the cell would no longer be able to sustain itself, and it would be
destroyed. Some cells require larger amounts of specific substances. They must have a way of
obtaining these materials from extracellular fluids. This may happen passively, as certain materials
move back and forth, or the cell may have special mechanisms that facilitate transport. Some materials
are so important to a cell that it spends some of its energy, hydrolyzing adenosine triphosphate (ATP),
to obtain these materials. Red blood cells use some of their energy doing just that. Most cells spend
the majority of their energy to maintain an imbalance of sodium and potassium ions between the cell's
interior and exterior, as well as on protein synthesis.

The most direct forms of membrane transport are passive. Passive transport is a naturally
occurring phenomenon and does not require the cell to exert any of its energy to accomplish the
movement. In passive transport, substances move from an area of higher concentration to an area of
lower concentration. A physical space in which there is a single substance concentration range has a
concentration gradient.
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Selective Permeability
Plasma membranes lack symmetry: the membrane's exterior is not identical to its interior (Fig.
7.h). There is a significant difference between the arrangement of proteins and phospholipids and
between the two leaflets that form a membrane. On the membrane's interior, some proteins serve to
anchor the membrane to cytoskeleton's fibers. There are peripheral proteins on the membrane's
exterior that bind extracellular matrix elements. Carbohydrates, attached to lipids or proteins, are also
on the plasma membrane's exterior surface (Figure 7.b). These carbohydrate complexes help the cell
bind required substances in the extracellular fluid. This adds considerably to plasma membrane's
selective nature.
Fig. 7.h. molecular view of the cell membrane. Intrinsic proteins penetrate and bind tightly to the lipid bilayer, which is
made up largely of phospholipids and cholesterol and which typically is between 4 and 10 nanometers (nm; 1 nm = 10 −9
metre) in thickness. Extrinsic proteins are loosely bound to the hydrophilic (polar) surfaces, which face the watery medium
both inside and outside the cell. Some intrinsic proteins present sugar side chains on the cell's outer surface. 2007
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Fig. 7.i. Structural Component of Cellular Membrane

The plasma membrane's exterior surface is not identical to its interior surface. Recall that
plasma membranes are amphiphilic: They have hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. This
characteristic helps move some materials through the membrane and hinders the movement of others.
Non-polar and lipid-soluble material with a low molecular weight can easily slip through the
membrane's hydrophobic lipid core. Substances such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K readily
pass through the plasma membranes in the digestive tract and other tissues. Fat-soluble drugs and
hormones also gain easy entry into cells and readily transport themselves into the body‘s tissues and
organs. Oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules have no charge and pass through membranes by
simple diffusion.
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 Polar substances present problems for the membrane. While some polar molecules connect
easily with the cell's outside, they cannot readily pass through the plasma membrane's lipid core.
Additionally, while small ions could easily slip through the spaces in the membrane's mosaic, their
charge prevents them from doing so. Ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride must
have special means of penetrating plasma membranes. Simple sugars and amino acids also need the
help of various transmembrane proteins (channels) to transport themselves across plasma
membranes.

Key Takes of the Permeability of the Lipid Bilayer: • Hydrophobic (nonpolar) molecules, such as
hydrocarbons, can dissolve in the lipid bilayer and pass through the membrane rapidly.
• Hydrophilic (Polar) molecules, such as sugars, do not cross the membrane easily.

Fig. 7.i. Substances highly impermeable to cross membrane like large uncharged polar molecules (glucose and fructose),
charged molecules and finally ALL IONS. But, Transport proteins are used to transport ions across membrane.

The
Transport Mechanisms
1. DIFFUSION
Passive movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to a region of low
concentration.
(Concentration gradient is the difference in concentration between the two regions)
Small, uncharged molecules like O2, CO2 and H2O can move easily through the membrane.
Works well over short distances. Once molecules enter the cell, the rate of diffusion slows.
Limits cell size.
Fig. 7.j. Diffusion through a permeable membrane moves a substance from a high concentration area (extracellular fluid,
in this case) down its concentration gradient (into the cytoplasm).

2. OSMOSIS
Diffusion of the solvent across a semi-permeable membrane separating two solutions. (Diffusion
of water)
Water molecules move from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.

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 Direction depends on the relative concentration of water molecules on either side of the cell
membrane.

Isotonic: Water inside the cell equals the water outside the cell and equal amounts of water
move in and out of the cell.
Hypotonic: Water outside the cell is greater than that inside the cell, water moves into the cell,
may cause cell to burst (lysis)
Hypertonic: Water inside the cell is greater than outside. Water moves out of the cell, may cause
the cell to shrink (plasmolysis)
Fig. 7.k. Movement of water molecules from high concentration to low concentration, through a semipermeable membrane.

3. FACILITATED TRANSPORT (ALSO KNOWN AS FACILITATED DIFFUSION OR

PASSIVE-MEDIATED TRANSPORT)
Assists with the movement of large molecules like glucose.
Passive movement of a substance into or out of the cell by means of carrier proteins or channel
proteins.
Moves molecules from high to low regions of concentration.
Carrier proteins: Transports noncharged molecules with a specific shape. Channel
proteins: Tunnel shape that transports small charged molecules. DOES NOT REQUIRE water
molecules for other molecules to transfer.
Fig. 7.l. Facilitated diffusion in cell membrane, showing ion channels and carrier proteins.

4. ACTIVE TRANSPORT
The process of moving substances against their concentration gradients Requires Energy.
Examples:
Kidney cells pump glucose and amino acids out of the urine and back into the blood.
Intestinal cells pump in nutrients from the gut.
Root cells pump in nutrients from the soil.
Gill cells in fish pump out sodium ions.
Fig. 7.m. Active transport: Requires the use of chemical energy to move substances across a membrane, against a
concentration gradient. Active transport proteins may be uniports, symports, or antiports.
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 Active Transport Pump: Sodium-potassium pump
3 sodium ions inside the cell and 2 potassium ions outside the cell bind to the pump.
This allows the release of energy from ATP and causes the protein complex to change
shape.
The change in shape allow the Na+ and K+ ions to move across and be released.
Fig. 7.n. In Primary active transport, energy from the hydrolysis of ATP is used to move ions into or out of cells against
their concentration gradients. The sodium-potassium pump is an important example.

Fig. 7.o. Secondary active transport couples the passive movement of one substance with its concentration gradient to
the movement of another substance against its concentration gradient. Energy from ATP is used indirectly to establish the
concentration gradient that results in the movement of the first substance.

5. BULK TRANSPORT

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1. Endocytosis: The cell membrane folds inward, traps and encloses a small amount of matter
from the extracellular fluid.
2. Exocytosis: The reverse of endocytosis: A vesicle from inside the cell moves to the cell
membrane. The vesicle fuses to the membrane and the contents are secreted.
Fig. 7.p. Exocytosis and Endocytosis

3 Types of Endocytosis:
Pinocytosis: The intake of a small droplet of extracellular fluid. This occurs in nearly all cell types.
Phagocytosis: The intake of a large droplet of extracellular fluid. This occurs in
specialized cells.
Receptor-assisted endocytosis: The intake of specific molecules that attach to
special proteins in the cell membrane. These proteins are uniquely shaped to fit the shape of a
specific molecule.
Difference between Endocytosis and Exocytosis
Endocytosis refers to the transportation of Exocytosis refers to the transportation of
macromolecules, large particles, and polar molecules or particles from the cell to
Definition
substances into the cell from the external the outside of the cell
environment
Involved in removing waste from the
Process Involved with up taking nutrients into the cell
cell
Occurs by both phagocytosis and Occurs by constitutive and regulated
Type
pinocytosis secretory pathway
Vesicle Internal vesicles like phagosomes are formed Secretory vesicles are formed
Cell Wall
Not involved Involved
Formation
Releasing of hormones out of the cell is
Example Engulfing bacteria by phagocytes is an example
an example

Fig. 7.q. Secondary active transport couples the passive movement of one substance with its concentration gradient to
the movement of another substance against its concentration gradient. Energy from ATP is used indirectly to establish the
concentration gradient that results in the movement of the first substance.

Activity 2
1. Why is the transport mechanism vital in a cell?
2. How are things transported through the membrane?
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3. How will a person know if the transport mechanism in the cell throughout our body is starting not to
work or not working?
4. What will you compare to the transport mechanism to what we have today?
5. If you are to choose what transport mechanism you prefer, what will it be and why

Performance Task
Construct a 3D cell membrane model from indigenous or recyclable materials.
1. Prepare your final draft sketch with labels. Use indigenous /recyclable materials that you will utilize
for each of the structural components for this activity.
2. Prepare your indigenous /recyclable materials and tools kits to start constructing the cell membrane
model.
3. Set your output on a 2x2 feet sturdy and use illustration board or any platform. Be guided on the
rubrics at your worksheets.
4. Keep your output in a safe place and submit it on the exact date of submission to be announced by
your teacher.

Assessment:

Direction: Select the letter of your choice. Write it in CAPITAL letters. Your answers should be written
on a separate sheet of paper.
_____1. Which is not a part of the transport mechanisms in cells?
a. facilitated c. osmosis
b. active d. exocytosis
_____2. What is the most direct form of transport mechanisms in cells?
a. passive c. osmosis
b. active d. excytosis
_____3. Water molecules move from a region of high concentration to a region of low
concentration.
a. facilitated c. osmosis
b. active d. diffusion
_____4. All are attributes of exocytosis except for…
a. Involved with up taking nutrients into the cell
b. Secretory vesicles are formed
c. Involved in removing waste from the cell
d. Uninvolved in cell Wall Formation
_____5. Water inside the cell equals the water outside the cell and equal amounts of
water move in and out of the cell.
a. Osmotic c. Hypotonic
b. Hypertonic d. Isotonic
Key to Answers
Activity 1 post test 1. D 2.A 3.C 4.A 5D

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