On October 7th 2013, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Sudhof for “their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells”. Before this research, knowledge about the vesicle transportation system that eukaryotic cells utilized was essentially limited to what could be observed, including its various tasks and actions and its huge significance in cell survival. The question that remained unanswered, however; was exactly how this system was able to perform and control its tasks with such efficiency and precision throughout the cell body and beyond. Therefore, Rothman, Schekman, and Sudhof provided a breakthrough in the current understanding of the vesicle transportation system with their discoveries of the mechanics behind the system.
The prominent metaphor used for explaining the vesicle transportation system in cells is a typical factory in the manner that it produces and exports essential molecules for different cell activities similarly to how a factory produces and delivers its products to its consumers. Cells, specifically eukaryotic cells, consist of different sections called organelles where the various cell functions occur. “This compartmentalization vastly improves the efficiency of many cellular functions and prevents potentially dangerous molecules from roaming freely within the cell” (Zierath & Lendahl). This quote displays the advantages of specialization within division of the cell; however, due to this “compartmentalization” of the cell, a system is required to transport and exchange molecules between these different intracellular sections to support c...
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... Therefore, defective vesicle transport system can lead to disease or possibly death if cellular activity is impaired somehow or if a mutation is present. The discoveries presented by Schekman, Rothman and Sudhof carry great significance here since it provides a basis of knowledge to build upon towards the cures of various diseases. The Nobel Prize Press Release stated, “The system is critical for a variety of physiological processes in which vesicle fusion must be controlled, ranging from signaling in the brain to release of hormones and immune cytokines. Defective vesicle transport occurs in a variety of diseases including a number of neurological and immunological disorders, as well as in diabetes.” Furthermore, the newfound understanding of the mechanics behind vesicle transportation, researchers can approach the mysteries of certain diseases in a different way.
This occurs when special carrier proteins carry solutes dissolved in the water across the membrane by using active transport. When the concentration gradient can not allow travel from one side of the membrane to the other fast enough for the cell’s nutritional needs, then facilitated diffusion is used. The transport protein is specialized for the solute it is carrying, just as enzymes are specialized for their substrate. The transport protein can be
The mitochondria has an eggshape structure. The mitochondria consists of an inner and outer membrane. The outer membrane is what shapes the organelle to its egglike shape. The inner membrane which folds inward makes a set of "shelves" or cristae that allow the reactions of the mitochondria to take place. The more the mitochondria makes these reactions the more the inner membrane folds.
problems within the specific ion channels known to cause the disease. The goal of the
When a cell membrane is said to be selectively permeable, it means that the cell membrane controls what substances pass in and out through the membrane. This characteristic of cell membranes plays a great role in passive transport. Passive transport is the movement of substances across the cell membrane without any input of energy by the cell. The energy for passive transport comes entirely from kinetic energy that the molecules have. The simplest type of passive transport is diffusion, which is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration. Diffusion
On a cellular level, Mrs. Jones’ cells are dehydrated due to osmotic pressure changes related to her high blood glucose. Cells dehydrate when poor cellular diffusion of glucose causes increased concentrations of glucose outside of the cell and lesser concentrations inside of the cell. Diffusion refers to the movement of particles from one gradient to another. In simple diffusion there is a stabilization of unequal of particles on either side of a permeable membrane through which the particles move freely to equalize the particles on both sides. The more complex facilitated diffusion is a passive transport of large particles from a high concentration of particles to a lower concentration of particles with the aid of a transport protein (Porth, 2011). The cellular membranes in our bodies are semipermeable allowing for smaller molecules to flow freely from the intracellular to extracellular space. The glucose molecule, however; is too large to diffuse through the cellul...
The Importance of Diffusion to Living Organisms Diffusion is basically the movement of chemical species (ions or molecules) under the influence of concentration difference. The species will move from the high concentration area to the low concentration area till the concentration is consistent in the whole system. Diffusion mostly occurs in gases and liquids as these can move freely. The main features of an efficient diffusion system would be that it has a large surface area, thin membrane and a continuous supply of substances. A large surface area is needed so that high amount of substances can be exchanged at a time while the thin membrane means that the diffusion pathway would be short so that it is more efficient.
8. Becker W. M, Hardin J, Kleinsmith L.J an Bertoni G (2010) Becker’s World of the Cell, 8th edition, San Francisco, Pearson Education Inc- Accessed 23/11/2013.
Segal, E. A., Cimino, A. N., Gerdes, K. E., Harmon, J. K., & Wagaman, M. (2013). A
The cytoskeleton is a highly dynamic intracellular platform constituted by a three-dimensional network of proteins responsible for key cellular roles as structure and shape, cell growth and development, and offering to the cell with "motility" that being the ability of the entire cell to move and for material to be moved within the cell in a regulated fashion (vesicle trafficking)’, (intechopen 2017). The cytoskeleton is made of microtubules, filaments, and fibres - they give the cytoplasm physical support. Michael Kent, (2000) describes the cytoskeleton as the ‘internal framework’, this is because it shapes the cell and provides support to cellular extensions – such as microvilli. In some cells it is used in intracellular transport. Since the shape of the cell is constantly changing, the microtubules will also change, they will readjust and reassemble to fit the needs of the cell.
Glucose is one of important source in the body because it is the primary source of energy for all body functions and is indeed the only form of energy which can used by the brain and central nervous systems. It is necessary for blood glucose levels to be regulated and this is achieved through homeostasis; however, low blood glucose or high blood glucose can lead to serious problems overtime. Thus, maintaining normal blood glucose is greatly decreases the risk of further complications due to diabetes. In this paper, I will explain how the glucoses move across the cell membrane including the difference between simple and facilitated diffusion.
Horowitz, N. H. (1997, July 23). Roger Wolcott Sperry. Retrieved November 19, 2013, from Nobelprize.org: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1981/sperry-article.html
Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions. But it also contains highly organized physical structures which are called intracellular organelles. These organelles are important for cellular function. For instance Mitochondria is the one of most important organelle of the cell. Without Mitochondria more than 95% of the cell’s energy, which release from nutrients would cease immediately [Guyton et al. 2007].
Microvilli and cilia play a major role in many important biological processes in mammalian cells. They are very small, intricate structures found lining the cells in the body and can only be viewed under a microscope. Microvilli has been derived from the Greek word mikros, meaning “small” and the Latin word villus, meaning “hair”. Cilia means “eyelashes” in Latin(1). They are both types of projections in the plasma membrane, however, only cilia can move(2).
Lastly there’s the vacuole. The vacuole is a closed compartment that’s stores and keeps water inside of the cell. It sometime carries solids that have been engulfed. Vacuoles are formed by fusions of multiple membrane vesicles. They are found in both plant and animal cells, but appear larger in plant cells. Vacuoles have no key shape or size. Its size and shape is based on the need of the cell. The vacuole does more than just store water, it separates materials that can harm the cell, holds waste and small molecules and passes on unwanted
This report provides an insight into the differences in the structure of cells and the way that they carry out their internal mechanisms. Cells form the basis of all living things and they are the smallest single unit of life. Cell biology is the study of cells and how they function, from the subcellular processes which keep them functioning, to the