Sodium Potassium Pumps

The sodium-potassium pumps is a plasma membrane transport protein and serve to push an ion into a cell against its concentration gradient. This type of action is known as active transport because it needs the energy to be able to move the ions against their concentration gradient. Generally, the solutes being pushed in or out of a cell will go from a low concentration gradient to a high concentration gradient. The sodium-potassium pump is crucial to kidney function, nerve signaling, and heart contractions in the human body. The pump will continuously sodium ions (Na+) out of the cell while pushing potassium ions (K+) into the cell. Every active transport requires energy and in the case of the sodium-potassium (Na+/K+) pump, it requires adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP. …show more content…
In one cycle of the sodium-potassium pump, there is one adenosine triphosphate, three sodium ions, and two potassium ions. To begin, the pump will have two openings that will allow for the entrance and exit of these ions. The first opening will have an adenosine triphosphate binding site, this side will be inside the cytosol of the cell. The second opening will open up to interstitial fluid and it is where the sodium ions will exit. First, the pump will assume a shape that has a closing on the side of the interstitial fluid and an opening on the where the cytosol is found. This binding of the ions is because of the conformational changes in the protein allowing it to bind and be released. As the sodium ions enter the pump, adenosine triphosphate will break down into ADP and phosphate (P1) then cause the release of energy to the cycle. The enzyme involved in this cycle is Na+/K+