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Related Concept Videos

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

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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...
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Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics01:17

Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics

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Passive diffusion is a critical process that allows small lipophilic drugs to cross the cell membrane along a concentration gradient. This mechanism's efficiency depends on four primary factors: the membrane's surface area, the drug's lipid-water partition coefficient, the concentration gradient, and the membrane's thickness.
When administered orally, drugs establish a substantial concentration gradient between the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen and the bloodstream, expediting...
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Facilitated Diffusion01:16

Facilitated Diffusion

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The plasma membrane, a critical structure in cellular biology, houses an array of transporters, or carrier proteins, interspersed within its lipid bilayer. These proteins play a crucial role in solute transport through facilitated diffusion, a form of passive diffusion that uses transporters to move the molecules across the membrane.
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Protein Dynamics in Living Cells01:19

Protein Dynamics in Living Cells

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Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
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Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 23, 2025

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
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Microscale Diffusiophoresis of Proteins.

Quentin A E Peter1, Raphaël P B Jacquat2, Therese W Herling1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EWCambridge, U.K.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|October 28, 2022
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Proteins exhibit strong diffusiophoretic motion in salt gradients, overcoming diffusion to dramatically alter their spatial organization. This discovery enables control over protein movement in microfluidic devices for novel sorting applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Living systems exhibit spatial inhomogeneity affecting biomolecular species.
  • Protein diffusiophoresis in chemical gradients is largely unexplored.
  • Existing microfluidic techniques require enhancement for protein analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure protein diffusiophoresis in real space using an improved microfluidic technique.
  • To investigate the impact of salt gradients on protein spatial organization.
  • To demonstrate the potential for controlling protein motion in microfluidic devices.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an improved diffusiophoresis microfluidic technique.
  • Employed a label-free microscope to avoid label interference.
  • Developed advanced numerical methods for analyzing small molecule behavior.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated strong diffusiophoretic motion of individual proteins in salt gradients.
  • Showed that protein motion can overcome diffusion, altering spatial organization.
  • Confirmed the ability to control protein motion within microfluidic devices.

Conclusions:

  • Protein diffusiophoresis is a significant factor in macromolecular spatial organization in cellular environments.
  • This research provides a physical understanding of gradient roles in living systems.
  • Highlights novel routes for protein sorting applications in microfluidic devices.