Plasma Membrane Transport and Cell Cycle

These flashcards cover key concepts related to plasma membrane transport, cell signalling, and the cell cycle, as discussed in the lecture notes.

Plasma Membrane

A selective barrier that allows certain substances to pass through while preventing others.

Tonicity

The ability of an extracellular solution to make water move in or out of a cell.

Osmosis

The diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane.

Active Transport

The movement of substances against their concentration gradient, requiring energy (ATP).

Passive Transport

Movement of molecules across the cell membrane without energy input, down their concentration gradient.

Facilitated Diffusion

Process of passive transport that uses proteins to help move molecules across the membrane.

Endocytosis

The process by which cells engulf substances from outside their environment.

Exocytosis

The process of vesicles fusing with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell.

Sodium-Potassium Pump (Na+/K+ pump)

An example of active transport that moves sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell.

Cell Cycle

The series of events that cells go through as they grow and divide.

Interphase

The phase of the cell cycle where the cell prepares for division, including G1, S, and G2 phases.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells with identical genetic material to the parent cell.

Chromatin

The material of which the chromosomes of organisms are composed, consisting of protein, RNA, and DNA.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death.

Cell Signalling

The process by which cells communicate and respond to external signals.

Receptor

A protein that detects specific signals and initiates a cellular response.