What Is Facilitated Diffusion?

Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport in which a cell can move larger objects into and out of the cell.

Facilitated DiffusionWelcome to MooMooMath and Science

In this video I would like to talk about facilitated diffusion

Facilitated diffusion is a type of passive transport

Passive transport is when items move from a high concentration to a low concentration.

It is described as moving down the concentration gradient.

Facilitated diffusion is a way for the cell to move larger objects using passive transport.

Items like sugar, proteins, and ions.

The first type of facilitated diffusion is when a cell uses a channel protein.

Think of a channel protein as a passageway or a tunnel.

Much like a tunnel items can move into and out of the cell.

Items like water and certain ions.

They still flow from high concentration to low to concentration.

The second type of facilitated diffusion is when the cell uses a carrier protein.

It is a protein that changes shape in order to move larger items into and out of the cell.

It works in both directions and again objects move from high concentration to low concentration.

One side of the protein carrier opens so that a particle can move enter then it opens on the opposite side of the membrane and it goes either into the cell or out of the cell.

Sugars and amino acids use carrier proteins.

Hope this helps with facilitated diffusion.

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Pictures of carrier proteins and channel proteins are from Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014"