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Pores and Ion Channels

By: HWC, Views: 5892

Transmembrane channels, also called membrane channels, are pores within a lipid bilayer. The channels can be formed by protein complexes that run across the membrane or by peptides. They may cross the cell membrane, connecting the cytosol, or cytoplasm, to the extracellular matrix. Membrane po...

Requirements for nervous signals

By: HWC, Views: 6638

• The function of neurons is to allow communication between cells, thereby maintaining homeostasis. • Electrical signals, called membrane potentials, travel along the membranes of the neurons. • Voltage variability and distance traveled determine the type of nervous signal. 1. Graded...

Electrical changes in the heart

By: HWC, Views: 6499

• ECG: Graph of the voltage changes that occur during the cardiac cycle. • Readings are taken by electrodes placed on the surface of the body. • Electrodes detect voltage changes caused by the electrical activity of the heart. • P wave = atrial excitation (atrial depolarization). ...

Import of Dietary Glucose from Intestines to Bloodstream

By: HWC, Views: 6119

• Membranes have hydrophobic interiors. which resist the passage of hydrophilic compounds and ions. • However. transporter membrane proteins facilitate the passage of these molecules. • Passive transporters accelerate diffusion of molecules towards equilibrium (decrease a concentrat...

Chemical Synapse Animation

By: HWC, Views: 4018

A neuromuscular junction is a chemical synapse between the axon endings of a motor neuron and a muscle cell. A narrow synaptic cleft separates the presynaptic cell (the motor neuron) from the postsynaptic cell (the muscle cell). The presynaptic cell contains vesicles filled with neurotransmitt...

Resting membrane potential - electrical polarity and maintenance requirements

By: HWC, Views: 6464

• A resting membrane potential exists when there is a buildup of: 1. positive ions outside the membrane. 2. negative ions inside the membrane. • Membranes with opposing charges are said to be polarized. • The difference in charge applies only to the small distance across the membran...

The Nerve Impulse

By: Administrator, Views: 11234

The action potential explained.

Second Messengers in the Inositol-lipid Signaling Pathway

By: HWC, Views: 5898

Extracellular signals produce specific responses in target cells through the action of intracellular second messengers. Here, we focus on three second messengers, IP3, DAG, and Ca2+, all involved in the inositol-lipid signaling pathway. A hormone-receptor signal on the cell surface leads to the a...

Simple Diffusion - gases and nonpolar compounds transport

By: HWC, Views: 7003

Gases and some molecules can diffuse through the phospholipid bilayer because they are small or non-polar. Oxygen gas. Carbon dioxide gas. Lipid based hormones. Plasma membranes are selectively permeable: The lipid bilayer is always permeable to small, nonpolar, uncharged molecules ...