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Related Concept Videos

Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a membrane via...
Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In  facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a membrane via...
Diffusion01:12

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Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

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Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon towards...
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport01:19

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Certain large, lipid-insoluble drug molecules that resemble amino acids, peptides, or glucose, require specialized carrier proteins to facilitate their diffusion across cell membranes. This transport can occur through either facilitated diffusion, which does not require energy input, or active transport, which does require energy input.
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...

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Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)
12:19

Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)

Published on: May 27, 2012

Directed single molecule diffusion triggered by surface energy gradients.

Pierre Burgos1, Zhenyu Zhang, Ramin Golestanian

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.

ACS Nano
|September 25, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

We found that surface energy gradients drive single poly(ethylene glycol) molecules towards hydrophilic areas. This directional diffusion significantly enhances polymer mobility compared to uniform surfaces.

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Area of Science:

  • Surface science
  • Polymer physics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Understanding molecular diffusion is crucial for applications in materials science and nanotechnology.
  • Surface properties significantly influence molecular behavior and transport phenomena.
  • Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a widely used polymer with diverse applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the diffusion dynamics of single poly(ethylene glycol) molecules on surfaces with controlled energy gradients.
  • To quantify the effect of surface energy gradients on polymer diffusion coefficients.
  • To elucidate the mechanism driving directed molecular motion.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of surfaces with hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic energy gradients over micrometer length scales.
  • Single-molecule tracking using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS).
  • Analysis of diffusion coefficients in relation to surface energy gradients.

Main Results:

  • Surface energy gradients were shown to direct the diffusion of single PEG molecules towards the hydrophilic regions.
  • Polymer diffusion coefficients were enhanced by over an order of magnitude on gradient surfaces compared to uniform surfaces.
  • Anisotropic diffusion was observed, with diffusion coefficients approximately 100 times greater along the gradient direction than perpendicular to it.

Conclusions:

  • Surface energy gradients provide a powerful mechanism to control and enhance molecular diffusion.
  • The observed directed diffusion aligns with a Stokes-Einstein model for surface-adsorbed polymers.
  • This work offers insights into designing surfaces for controlled molecular transport in various applications.