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Related Concept Videos

The Significance of Membrane Transport01:44

The Significance of Membrane Transport

The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
The Significance of Membrane Transport01:44

The Significance of Membrane Transport

The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...
Membrane Transporters01:31

Membrane Transporters

Transporters are essential membrane transport proteins with functions related to cell nutrition, homeostasis, communication, etc. Approximately 7% of all genes in the human genome code for transporters or transporter-related proteins.
Transporters are mainly composed of alpha-helices, built from bundles of ten or more helices traversing the plasma membrane. The solute-binding sites are located midway, where some of the helices are broken or distorted, making space for the binding site through...
Primary Active Transport01:29

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would not...
Primary Active Transport01:29

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would not...
Primary Active Transport01:47

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps that are embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they...

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Updated: May 21, 2026

Introduction to Solid Supported Membrane Based Electrophysiology
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Published on: May 11, 2013

Membrane transport metabolons.

Trevor F Moraes1, Reinhart A F Reithmeier

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|June 19, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Membrane transporters and metabolic enzymes form dynamic "metabolons" that enhance nutrient uptake and cellular metabolism. This functional association is crucial across diverse organisms, from bacteria to humans.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Membrane transporters mediate nutrient uptake, while enzymes catalyze metabolic reactions.
  • The precise relationship between transporters and metabolic enzymes has been an area of ongoing investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence supporting the hypothesis that membrane transporters and metabolic enzymes physically and functionally associate.
  • To propose the concept of membrane transport metabolons that channel extracellular substrates directly into cellular metabolism.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature across diverse biological systems.
  • Analysis of genetic linkages, particularly Escherichia coli operons encoding polycistronic mRNAs.
  • Examination of functional and physical associations between transporters and metabolizing enzymes.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests dynamic, likely physical, associations between transporters and metabolizing enzymes.
  • These associations form functional membrane transport metabolons, channeling substrates into metabolism.
  • Metabolon activity enhances transport efficiency by preventing substrate back-flux and facilitating product efflux.

Conclusions:

  • Membrane transport metabolons are a conserved mechanism across diverse organisms.
  • The regulation of enzyme-transporter binding influences metabolic flux.
  • Further structural studies are warranted to elucidate the physical basis of these interactions.