Cellular Transport Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering all 40 cell membrane structure and cellular transport terms featured on the Cellular Transport study worksheet.

Glycolipid

A lipid with an attached carbohydrate chain on the extracellular surface of the cell membrane, functioning in cell recognition and cellular stability.

Integral Protein

A membrane protein permanently attached to the biological membrane, typically spanning across the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer.

Protein Pumps

Transmembrane proteins that use metabolic energy (such as ATP) to move ions or solutes across a membrane against their concentration gradient.

Channel Protein

A transport protein that provides a hydrophilic passageway through the membrane, allowing specific ions or water molecules to diffuse passively.

Peripheral Protein

A protein temporarily adhered to the inner or outer surface of the cell membrane without embedding into the hydrophobic core.

Cholesterol

A steroid lipid embedded within the phospholipid bilayer that modulates and stabilizes membrane fluidity and permeability across temperature variations.

Phospholipid

The fundamental amphipathic lipid component of cell membranes, consisting of a hydrophilic phosphate head and two hydrophobic fatty acid tails.

Hydrophobic

Water-fearing; describes nonpolar molecules or regions that do not interact favorably with water and repel aqueous solutions.

Hydrophilic

Water-loving; describes polar or charged molecules that readily interact with or dissolve in water.

Cytoskeleton

A network of intracellular protein filaments that provides structural support, maintains cell shape, anchors membrane proteins, and assists in transport.

Aquaporin

A specialized channel protein that facilitates the rapid passive transport of water molecules across cell membranes.

Polar

A molecule or bond having an asymmetric distribution of electrical charge, resulting in partially positive and partially negative poles.

Nonpolar

A molecule with an even electrical charge distribution, lacking distinct charged poles and typically behaving as hydrophobic.

Simple Diffusion

The passive transport of small, nonpolar solute molecules directly through the phospholipid bilayer from higher to lower concentration.

Osmosis

The net passive movement of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane toward an area of higher solute concentration.

Facilitated Diffusion

The passive movement of polar or charged substances down their concentration gradient via specific carrier or channel proteins.

Turgid

The swollen, firm state of a plant cell resulting from osmotic water intake in a hypotonic environment exerting turgor pressure on the cell wall.

Crenated

The notched or shriveled condition of an animal cell caused by net water loss when placed in a hypertonic solution.

Lysed

The bursting or rupturing of an animal cell resulting from excessive osmotic water influx in a hypotonic environment.

Semipermeable

A characteristic of a membrane that selectively permits certain substances to pass through while restricting others.

Equilibrium

The state in which solute concentration is uniform throughout a space, resulting in equal rates of molecular movement in all directions with no net change.

Plasmolyzed

The condition of a plant cell wherein the plasma membrane contracts and pulls away from the cell wall due to water loss in a hypertonic solution.

Homeostasis

The active maintenance of a stable, balanced internal physiological state within a cell or organism despite fluctuating external conditions.

Exocytosis

An active transport process where intracellular vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to secrete substances out of the cell.

Endocytosis

An active transport process wherein the cell invaginates its plasma membrane to engulf external materials into an internal vesicle.

Isotonic

A solution having an identical solute concentration to the inside of the cell, resulting in no net movement of water.

Hypertonic

A solution with a higher concentration of solutes compared to the cell interior, causing net water efflux out of the cell.

Hypotonic

A solution with a lower concentration of solutes compared to the cell interior, causing net water influx into the cell.

Concentration Gradient

The gradual difference in solute concentration between two regions, providing the driving force for passive diffusion from high to low concentration.

Active Transport

The energy-requiring movement of substances across a cellular membrane against their concentration gradient, usually utilizing ATP.

Passive Transport

The movement of substances across a biological membrane down their concentration gradient without the expenditure of cellular metabolic energy.

Solvent

The dissolving medium in a solution capable of dissolving a solute; in biological systems, water functions as the primary solvent.

Solute

A substance that dissolves in a solvent to produce a homogeneous solution.

Pinocytosis

A form of endocytosis known as 'cell drinking,' where extracellular fluids and dissolved solutes are engulfed into small vesicles.

Phagocytosis

A form of endocytosis known as 'cell eating,' where large particles, microorganisms, or cellular debris are engulfed by pseudopodia into a phagosome.

Glycoprotein

A membrane protein covalently bound to carbohydrate chains, playing crucial roles in cell-cell recognition, immunity, and signaling.

Carbohydrate

A biological macromolecule composed of saccharide units; on the membrane exterior, carbohydrate chains serve as identity markers.

Lipid

A class of nonpolar biomolecules comprising fatty acids and sterols that form the core hydrophobic barrier of the cellular membrane.

Protein

A macromolecule composed of amino acid chains that functions in the membrane as transport channels, enzymes, receptors, and structural anchors.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate; the primary cellular energy currency hydrolyzed to fuel active transport mechanisms and metabolic reactions.