Biological Membranes and Energy Processes

Flashcards covering key concepts related to biological membranes, transport mechanisms, and cellular respiration processes.

Facilitated diffusion

A process that requires a protein-lined pore in the membrane to transport substances down their gradient.

Active transport

The movement of solutes against their gradient, requiring energy.

Cholesterol

A molecule that stabilizes phospholipids within the membrane structure.

Aquaporins

Channel proteins that facilitate the transport of water across cell membranes.

Endergonic reaction

A reaction that requires energy input to proceed.

Phospholipid bilayer

A membrane structure consisting of two layers of phospholipids with hydrophilic heads outward and hydrophobic tails inward.

Glycolysis

The metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, producing ATP and NADH in the process.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

A method of producing ATP that occurs when a phosphate group is directly transferred to ADP from a phosphorylated substrate.

Electrochemical gradient

A gradient that consists of differences in both concentration and charge across a membrane.

Redox reactions

Chemical reactions involving the transfer of electrons, crucial for energy production in cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

ATP synthase

An enzyme that creates ATP by coupling the movement of protons down their electrochemical gradient.