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A membrane transport protein is a membrane protein involved in the movement of ions, small molecules, and macromolecules, such as another protein, across a biological membrane. Transport proteins are integral transmembrane proteins ; that is they exist permanently within and span the membrane across which they transport substances.
Mechanism of uniport transport across cell membrane. Uniporters work to transport molecules or ions by passive transport across a cell membrane down its concentration gradient. Upon binding and recognition of a specific substrate molecule on one side of the uniporter membrane, a conformational change is triggered in the transporter protein. [27]
The discovery of the existence of this type of transporter protein came from the study of the kinetics of cross-membrane molecule transport. For certain solutes it was noted that the transport velocity reached a plateau at a particular concentration above which there was no significant increase in uptake rate, indicating a log curve type response.
In cellular biology, active transport is the movement of molecules or ions across a cell membrane from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration—against the concentration gradient. Active transport requires cellular energy to achieve this movement.
(b) Channel ionophores create channels within cell membranes to facilitate the transport of ions. In chemistry, an ionophore (from Greek ion and -phore 'ion carrier') is a chemical species that reversibly binds ions. [1] Many ionophores are lipid-soluble entities that transport ions across the cell membrane.
The cell membrane is imbedded with many membrane transport proteins that allow such molecules to travel in and out of the cell. [2] There are three types of mediated transporters: uniport, symport, and antiport. Things that can be transported are nutrients, ions, glucose, etc, all depending on the needs of the cell.
A comparison of transport proteins [1]. An antiporter (also called exchanger or counter-transporter) is an integral membrane protein that uses secondary active transport to move two or more molecules in opposite directions across a phospholipid membrane.
There are several modes by which membrane channels operate. The most common is the gated channel which requires a trigger, such as a change in membrane potential in voltage-gated channels, to unlock or lock the pore opening. Voltage-gated channels are critical to the production of an action potential in neurons resulting in a nerve impulse.