MODULE 3:

TRANSPORT MECHANISM
Lesson 2:

Endocytosis vs. exocytosis

In addition to moving small ions and molecules through the membrane, cells also need to remove
and take in larger molecules and particles. Some cells are even capable of engulfing entire unicellular
microorganisms. You might have correctly hypothesized that the uptake and release of large particles by
the cell requires energy. A large particle, however, cannot pass through the membrane, even with energy
supplied by the cell.

OBJECTIVES:

a) differentiate endocytosis from exocytosis;

b) differentiate the types of transport mechanism in a cell; and
c) bridge the lesson by creating story that reflects what our country is experiencing now.

LET THE ADVENTURE

BEGIN
1. Which is not a part of the transport mechanisms in cells?
a) Facilitated
b) Active
c) Osmosis
d) Exocytosis
2. What is the most direct form of transport mechanisms in cells?
a. Passive
b. Active
c. Osmosis
d. Exocytosis
3. Hydrocarbons dissolve in the lipid bilayer, except for________.
a) pass the membrane
b) hydrophobic
c) non polar
d) polar
4. Water molecules move from a region of high concentration to a region of
low concentration.
a) Facilitated
b) Active
 c) Osmosis
d) Diffusion
5. Moves molecules from high to low regions of concentration with the
transmembrane protein
a) Facilitate
b) Active
c) Osmosis
d) diffusion

LET’S
EXPLORE
Provide the Functions related to the Structures and Compositions of the Cell Membrane inside the
empty blanks.

Endocytosis refers to the Exocytosis refers to..

transportation of macromolecules, large 1.
Definition particles, and polar
substances into the cell from the
external environment.

Involved with ….
2. Involved in removing waste from
Process
the cell

Occurs by ….
3. Occurs by constitutive and
Type
regulated secretory pathway

Forms….
Internal vesicles like phagosomes 4.
Vesicle
are formed

5.
Cell Wall Formation Involved

6. Releasing of hormones out of the

Example
cell is an example

READ ALERT

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

 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.

Selective Permeability

Plasma membranes lack symmetry: the membrane's exterior is not identical to

its interior (Fig.a). 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. These carbohydrate
complexes help the cell bind required substances in the extracellular fluid. This adds
considerably to plasma membrane's selective nature.

Fig. A.
molecular view of
the cell
membrane. Intrinsic proteins penetrate and bind tightly to thelipid bilayer, which is made up largely of
phospholipids and cholesterol and which typically is between4 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. b . 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.

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 lipidbilayer and
pass through the membrane rapidly.
 Hydrophilic (Polar) molecules, such as sugars, do not cross the membrane easily.
Fig. c. 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. d. 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.
 Direction depends on the relative concentration of water molecules on either sideof 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.e. 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.f. 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:
o Kidney cells pump glucose and amino acids out of the urine and back
into the blood.
o Intestinal cells pump in nutrients from the gut.
o Root cells pump in nutrients from the soil.
o Gill cells in fish pump out sodium ions.

Fig. g. 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.

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. h. 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. i. 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
 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. j. Exocytosis and Endocytosis

Difference between Endocytosis and Exocytosis

Endocytosis refers to
the transportation of Exocytosis refers to the
macromolecules, large transportation of
Definition particles, and polar molecules or particles
substances into the cell from the cell to the
from the external outside of the cell
environment

Involved with up taking Involved in removing

Process
nutrients into the cell waste from the cell

Occurs by both Occurs by constitutive

Type phagocytosis and and regulated secretory
pinocytosis pathway

Internal vesicles like Secretory vesicles are

Vesicle
phagosomes are formed formed

Cell Wall
Not involved Involved
Formation

Example Engulfing bacteria by Releasing of hormones

phagocytes is an out of the cell is an
 example example

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.

Fig. k. 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.