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BI 314 Chapter 12
Key Terms from Essential Cell Biology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Action Potential | Rapid, transient, self-propagating electrical signal in the plasma membrane of a cell such as a neuron or muscle. A nerve impulse |
| Active Transport | Movement of a molecule across a membrane driven by ATP hydrolysis or another form of metabolic energy |
| Axon | Long thin nerve cell process capable of rapidly conducting nerve impulses over long distances so as to deliver signals to other cells |
| Channel | An aqueous pore in a lipid membrane, with walls made of protein, through which selected ions or molecules can pass |
| Coupled Transporter | Membrane transport protein that carries out transport in which the transfer of one molecule depends on the simultaneous or sequential transfer of a second molecule |
| Electrochemical Gradient | Driving force that causes an ion to move across a membrane. Caused by differences in ion concentration and in electrical charge on either side of the membrane |
| Ion Channel | Transmembrane protein or protein complex that forms a water-filled channel across the lipid bilayer through which specific inorganic ions can diffuse down their electrochemical gradients |
| Ligand-Gated Channel | An ion channel that opens when it binds a small molecule such as a neurotransmitter |
| Membrane Potential | Voltage difference across a membrane due to a slight excess of positive ions on one side and of negative ions on the other. A typical one for an animal cell plasma membrane is -60mV (inside negative), measured relative to the surrounding fluid |
| Membrane Transport Protein | Any protein embedded in a membrane that serves as a carrier of ions or small molecules from one side to the other |
| Na+-K+ Pump | Transmembrane carrier protein, found in the plasma membrane of most animal cells, that pumps Na+ out of and K+ into the cell, using the energy derived from ATP hydrolysis |
| Nernst Equation | Quantitative expression that relates the equilibrium ratio of concentrations of an ion on either side of a permeable membrane to the voltage difference across the membrane |
| Nerve Terminal | The ending of an axon from which signals are sent to adjoining cells, usually at a synapse |
| Neuron | Cell with long processes specialized to receive, conduct, and transmit signals in the nervous system |
| Neurotransmitter | Small signaling molecule secreted by a nerve cell at a chemical synapse to signal to the postsynaptic cell. Examples include acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA, and glycine. |
| Osmosis | Net movement of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane driven by a difference in concentration of solute on either side. The membrane must be permeable to water but not to the solute molecules |
| Osmotic Pressure | Pressure that must be exerted on the low-solute concentration side of a semipermeable membrane to prevent the flow of water across the membrane as a result of osmosis |
| Passive Transport | The movement of a small molecule or ion across a membrane due to a difference in concentration or electrical charge |
| Patch-Clamp Recording | Technique in which the tip of a small glass electrode is sealed onto a patch of cell membrane, thereby making it possible to record the flow of current through individual ion channels in the patch |
| Stress-Gated Channel | Membrane protein that allows the selective entry of specific ions into a cell and is opened by mechanical force |
| Synapse | Specialized junction between a nerve cell and another cell across which the nerve impulse is transferred. In most, the signal is carried by a neurotransmitter, which is secreted by the nerve cell and diffuses to the target cell |
| Synaptic Vesicle | Small membrane-enclosed sac filled with neurotransmitter that releases its contents by exocytosis at a synapse |
| Transporter | Membrane protein that transports ions or molecules across a cell membrane |
| Voltage-Gated Channel | Membrane protein that selectively allows ions such as Na+ (carried by the voltage-gated Na+ channel) to cross a membrane and is opened by changes in membrane potential. Found mainly in electrically excitable cells such as nerve and muscle |
Created by:
knye
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