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What is a selectively permeable membrane?
A membrane that allows certain substances to pass while restricting others, essential for maintaining cell homeostasis.
What is the fluid-mosaic model?
A dynamic model of the cell membrane where lipids and proteins are arranged to allow fluidity and functionality, affecting membrane behavior.
What are the key components of the plasma membrane?
Key elements including lipids (forming the barrier), proteins (facilitating transport and signaling), and carbohydrates (for cell recognition and communication).
What is cell homeostasis?
Cell homeostasis is the process by which a cell maintains a stable internal environment, which is crucial for its survival and proper functioning.
Passive Transport
Movement of substances across membranes without the use of cellular energy (ATP), including diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis.
Active Transport
Requires energy input to move substances against their concentration gradient, including primary and secondary active transport.
Exocytosis
Process by which cells expel materials in vesicles that fuse with the plasma membrane, important for secretion of hormones and waste.
Endocytosis
Process of taking materials into the cell by engulfing them in a vesicle; includes phagocytosis, pinocytosis, and receptor-mediated endocytosis.
Tonicity
Refers to the ability of a solution to influence the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane based on solute concentration.
Isotonic Solution
Equal concentration of solutes inside and outside the cell, leading to no net water movement.
Hypotonic Solution
Lower solute concentration outside the cell, causing water to move into the cell and potentially leading to swelling.
Hypertonic Solution
Higher solute concentration outside the cell, causing water to move out, leading to cell shrinkage.
