Term
| Rapid, transient, self-propagating electrical signal in the plasma membrane of a cell such as a neuron or muscle. A nerve impulse. |
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| Movement of a molecule across a membrane driven by ATP hydrolysis or another form of metabolic energy. |
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| Long thin nerve cell process capable of rapidly conducting nerve impulses over long distances so as to deliver signals to other cells. |
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| An aqueous pore in a lipid membrane, with walls made of protein, through which selected ions or molecules can pass. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| An ion channel that opens when it binds a small molecule such as a neurotransmitter. |
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| 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 membrane potential for an animal cell plasma membrane is -60mV (inside negative), measured relative to the surrounding fluid. |
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| Any protein embedded in a membrane that serves as a carrier of ions or small molecules from one side to the other. |
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Definition
| membrane transport protein |
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Term
| 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. |
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| The ending of an axon from which signals are sent to adjoining cells, usually at a synapse. |
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| Cell with long processes specialized to receive, conduct, and transmit signals in the nervous system. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| The movement of a small molecule or ion across a membrane due to a difference in concentration or electrical charge. |
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| Membrane protein that allows the selective entry of specific ions into a cell and is opened by mechanical force. |
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| Specialized junction between a nerve cell and another cell (nerve cell, muscle cell, gland cell) across which the nerve impulse is transferred. In most synapses the signal is carried by a neurotransmitter, which is secreted by the nerve cell and diffuses to the target cell. |
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| Small membrane-enclosed sac filled with neurotransmitter that releases its contents by exocytosis at a synapse. |
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| Membrane protein that transports ions or molecules across a cell membrane. |
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Definition
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| Membrane protein that selectively allows ions such as Na+ (carried by the voltage-gated Na+ channel) to ross a membrane and is opened by changes in membrane potential. Found mainly in electrically excitable cells such as nerve and muscle. |
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Definition
| voltage-gated (Na+) channel |
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