Membrane potential

three parts; the plasma membrane, the cytoplasm, and the nucleus. The plasma membrane is the outer boundary of the cell, it separates two major fluid compartments- the intracellular fluid and the extracellular fluid, and plays a key role in cell transport. Cell transport is the movement of materials across a selectively permeable membrane, and this process can occur in two ways; passive transport and active transport. Passive transport allows substances to cross the membrane without any use of…

In this experiment, we set out to determine the osmolarity of a potato. In order to do this, we placed potato pieces in seven different solutions of varying sucrose molarity. First, we weighed each potato piece to obtain the initial weight, shown in Figure 1. Then, we split the pieces vertically before placing them in the cubs containing the sucrose solutions. In each cup was a solution of sucrose with a molarity ranging from 0.0M to 0.6M. After placing the potatoes in the cups, we allowed them…

length played a role in the amount of force a muscle produces. In order to fully understand how a muscle contracts, it is necessary to first understand the structure of muscle cells. Muscles cells are large cells that are surrounded by a special membrane called the sarcolemma and are filled with fluid called sarcoplasm. The sarcoplasm abounds with mitochondria for energy production and ribosomes for protein manufacturing. Muscle cells are also packed with many…

blood, the student noticed that the cells appeared to become smaller.” Now the question stands, why did the red blood cells appear smaller? There were three possible explanations proposed. Explanation one reads, “Sugar molecules push on the cell membranes and make the cells appear smaller.” Explanation two states,”Water molecules move out of the cell because the concentration of water is greater inside the cell than it is outside the cell.” Finally, explanation three reads, “Sugar molecules…

Simple diffusion is a passive process involving the movement of smaller, nonpolar molecules moving across a membrane from a high concentration area to a low concentration area without any forces acting upon the substance. Facilitated diffusion is a passive diffusion process involving the transportation of large or polar molecules and ions across the cell membrane (which they cannot normally pass through) with the help of transport proteins. Because facilitated diffusion is a form of passive…

laboratory developed the SNARE hypothesis describing a model of SNAREs involvement in vesicle targeting and fusion. Their model explains that a transport vesicle (v-SNARE) and a target membrane (t-SNARE) with the aid of NSF, SNAPs and other yet unknown proteins bring the v-SNARE in close proximity to the t-SNARE facilitating membrane fusion (Sollner et al., 1993). It is now widely accepted that SNAREs serve as the core machineries necessary for vesicle targeting and fusion but are regulated by…

function of the CFTR gene provides instructions for making a protein channel called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane. This protein channel transports chloride ions across the semipermeable membrane of cells that produce mucus, tears, sweat, saliva, and digestive enzymes. Due to osmosis, water will pass through the membrane from low concentrations of chloride, to high concentrations. Controlling the movement of water in tissues is necessary for the production of thin, free flowing mucus.…

Beetroot tissues will be the model investigated in this lab. Specifically the effects of temperature stress on the beetroots cellular membrane. Beetroot is known as Beta Vulgaris, it is one of the healthiest vegetables one can eat with plenty of minerals and vitamins. One of the main vitamins in beetroot is betaine which serve as organic osmolytes that are synthesized or taken from the surroundings by the cells to protect against osmotic stress, high temperature or, drought. Roots of beet also…

All things alive are made of cells. We humans have way too many to count. All the cells cluster and act together in the way so that we can function normally. Thanks to Agre and MacKinnon we now have more knowledge over molecular machines such ass channels, gates, and valves. The fact that water could go through the cell wall has always been a known thing, however, how the pores looked under function had been unknown. That is, until 1990 when Agre became the first to discover one. Chemical…

consumed by a portion of the plasma membrane. This results in the formation of a vesicle, or phagosome, which then fuses with a lysosome in the cytoplasm to break down and digest food particles. However, a large fraction of bacteria engulfed by protozoa are not digested. Instead, they remain metabolically active and survive to be discharged to the outside environment (Aijaz and Koudelka, 2017). The discharge of these indigestible materials occurs when the membrane of the phagosome reaches the…