Active Transport

Flashcards covering key concepts related to active transport mechanisms, their functions, and examples.

What is active transport?

Active transport is the mechanism that requires the cell's energy, usually in the form of ATP, to move substances against their concentration gradient.

What are the two types of active transport?

The two types of active transport are primary active transport and secondary active transport.

What is an electrochemical gradient?

An electrochemical gradient is the combined effect of concentration gradients and electrical gradients on an ion.

Describe the function of the sodium-potassium pump (Na+-K+ ATPase).

The sodium-potassium pump moves sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell, maintaining the electrochemical gradient.

What is the ratio of sodium to potassium ions transported by the sodium-potassium pump?

The sodium-potassium pump transports three sodium ions out of the cell for every two potassium ions it brings in.

What is primary active transport?

Primary active transport directly uses ATP to transport ions across a membrane, creating an electrochemical gradient.

What is secondary active transport?

Secondary active transport relies on the electrochemical gradient created by primary active transport to move other substances across the membrane.

What are the three types of transporters involved in active transport?

The three types of transporters are uniporters, symporters, and antiporters.

How do uniporters, symporters, and antiporters differ?

A uniporter transports one specific ion or molecule, a symporter transports two different ions or molecules in the same direction, and an antiporter transports them in opposite directions.

Why can injecting a potassium solution into a person's blood be lethal?

Injecting a potassium solution can disrupt the normal electrochemical gradients, leading to severe physiological consequences, including cardiac arrest.