General Biology 1

Self-Learning Packet

Preliminaries

Module # 4- Cell Transport

Module Overview

In cellular biology, active transport is the movement of molecules across a cell membrane from a

region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration—against the concentration gradient.
Active transport requires cellular energy to achieve this movement. There are two types of active
transport: primary active transport that uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and secondary active
transport that uses an electrochemical gradient. An example of active transport in human physiology is the
uptake of glucose in the intestines.

Learning Competencies
At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain transport mechanisms in cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, and active
transport).
2. Differentiate exocytosis from endocytosis and vice versa.
3. Experiment on the effects of osmosis on plant cells.

Instructional Materials:

 Apodaca, Dahlia. General Chemistry 1 second edition. Diwa Learning System Inc. 2020. Page
63-85.
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Map
%3A_Introductory_Chemistry_(Tro)/06%3A_Chemical_Composition/
6.09%3A_Calculating_Molecular_Formulas_for_Compounds
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Map
%3A_Introductory_Chemistry_(Tro)/07%3A_Chemical_Reactions/
7.04%3A_How_to_Write_Balanced_Chemical_Equations
 https://www.cuemath.com/percentage-yield-formula/

Pre-Assessment:

Beforehand, answer first the pre-assessment your prior knowledge about transport
mechanisms in cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, and active transport),
differentiate exocytosis from endocytosis, and experiment on the effects of osmosis on
plant cells. Give a try yourself an answer to these three questions and encircle your
correct answer.

1. Which of the following substances is most likely to be brought into a cell by receptor-mediated
endocytosis?
a. cholesterol bound to a protein ligand b. a sodium ion c. glucose d. an amino acid

2. Building material of cell wall is carried through the

a. phagocytosis b. exocytosis c. pinocytosis d. endocytosis
3. Which of the following statements is true for exocytosis?
a. It helps in the intake of large materials by the cell.
b. It is a form of active transport.
c. It occurs without the help of any cell organelle.
d. It does not require energy

4. a person’s tongue cells after finishing eating a salty French fry would
a. get smaller b. remain the same c. get bigger d. will change it color

5. What is it called when molecules move from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration?
a. equilibrium b. diffusion c. osmosis d. cell transport

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, you are now at the 4th part of this module session 2. Are you familiar
with the chemical formula of sugar? How about the molecular mass of the sugar?
Can you define a reactant vs. the product in a chemical equation? Before you
proceed let’s have a glimpse about the chemical formula of a sugar.

1. Motivation

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.

1. What does a cell “eat”?___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Wow, you did Great!

2. Linking Statement

At the end of this module, you will be able to learn the transport mechanisms in
cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, and active transport), differentiate
INTERACTION
exocytosis from endocytosis, and you will conduct an experiment on the effects
of osmosis on plant cells
 Learning Activities

Hi, here are some reading materials and explains the different transport mechanisms
in cells (diffusion, osmosis, facilitated transport, and active transport), differentiate
exocytosis from endocytosis, and the concept of osmosis on plant cells.

1. Reading materials/ Concept Notes

Transport across the cell membrane can be classified as passive or active. Passive
transport does not require energy, whereas active transport and bulk transport
require energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to transport substances
across the cell.
Passive Transport- focus to simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis.
Diffusion- this means that molecules move from an area of greater concentration to
an area of lesser concentration. This process does not require ATP.
Facilitated diffusion- transport proteins are needed to move molecules from an area Fig. 1. Example of diffusion
of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration.
Sugars and amino acids are transported toward the cell via
facilitated diffusion.
Transport proteins- come as carrier proteins or channel
proteins. Carrier proteins change their shape to transfer
molecules. The enclosure of the carrier proteins prevents the
hydrophilic or charged molecules to interact with the nonpolar
part of cell membrane.
Fig. 2. Facilitated diffusion
Osmosis- water molecules move an area of higher water
concentration (more water molecules) to an area of lesser water
concentration (fewer water molecules). Osmosis is also sometimes called diffusion of
water.
Active transport, molecules move from an area of low concentration to an area of high
concentration. This kind of transport requires energy in the process. Active transport
allows the uptake of nutrients from the external environment even if there are higher
amounts of these inside the cell. Also, it allows secretions and wastes to exit the cell
even if the concentration outside is higher than the concentration inside the cell. The
sodium-potassium exchange during impulse transmission in the nerve cell is made possible because of
Fig.3. Example of osmosis
active transport.

Fig. 4. Example of Active Transport

Exocytosis and Endocytosis
Vesicle Transport
Some molecules or particles are just too large to pass through the
plasma membrane or to move through a transport protein. So cells use two
other active transport processes to move these macromolecules (large
molecules) into or out of the cell. Vesicles or other bodies in the cytoplasm
move macromolecules or large particles across the plasma membrane. There
are two types of vesicle transport, endocytosis and exocytosis. Both
processes are active transport processes, requiring energy.
Fig. 5. Example of Exocytosis and Endocytosis

Endocytosis is the process of capturing a substance or particle from outside the cell by engulfing it with
the cell membrane. The membrane folds over the substance and it becomes completely enclosed by the
membrane. At this point a membrane-bound sac, or vesicle, pinches off and moves the substance into the
cytosol. There are two main kinds of endocytosis:

 Phagocytosis, or cellular eating, occurs when the dissolved

materials enter the cell. The plasma membrane engulfs the solid
material, forming a phagocytic vesicle.
 Pinocytosis, or cellular drinking, occurs when the plasma
membrane folds inward to form a channel allowing
dissolved substances to enter the cell, as shown in

Exocytosis describes the process of vesicles fusing with the plasma Fig 6. Transmission electron microscope image
membrane and releasing their contents to the outside of the cell. of brain tissue that shows pinocytotic vesicles.
Pinocytosis is a type of endocytosis.
Exocytosis occurs when a cell produces substances for export, such as a
protein, or when the cell is getting rid of a waste product or a toxin. Newly
made membrane proteins and membrane lipids are moved on top the plasma membrane by exocytosis.
3 Effects of Osmosis on Plant Cells
In osmosis, water molecules move from an area of higher water concentration (more water
molecules) to an area of lesser water concentration (fewer water molecules). Osmosis is also sometimes
called diffusion of water.
The environment of the cell may be described as isotonic, hypotonic, or hypertonic, depending on
the concentration of the solute. In an isotonic environment, the solute concentration is equal to that of the
cell. In hypotonic environment, the solute concentration is lower than that of the cell. Last, in a
hypertonic environment, the solute concentration is higher than that of the cell.
Recall that plant cells have cell walls, which provides additional support and protection. Thus,
plant cells react a little differently when placed in solutions with different solute concentrations. A plant
cell immersed in a hypotonic environment expands and becomes turgid. It does not burst because of its
cell wall.

Fig. 7. Ex. of Osmosis effect on a plant cells

Exercises and Drills (FA)

 This is it, your exercises and drills part. In this part you will understand
fully the lesson by doing the following activities and given its
instruction kindly read it properly and understand. Good luck!

Activity 1
Fill out the table below. Give what is asked accordingly.

Definition Words to use

Diffusion is the _______ movement of a substance
from an area of _______ concentration to an area partially high membrane
of _________ concentration, across a _________ low net
permeable __________.

1.Draw in the molecules on the right hand side of

the partially permeable membrane, showing a
lower concentration of the substance compared to
the left-hand side.
2.Draw in arrows to show the direction of the net
movement of the molecules across the partially
permeable membrane.

3.Now draw in the molecules of the substance,

either side of the partially permeable membrane, to
show that an equilibrium has been reached due to
diffusion.

Words to use
Diffusion is a ________ process, meaning it does
not require _________. Molecules move around Equilibrium permeable passive low
_______, but their net movement will be from
_______ to ________ concentration until an high Energy randomly
_______ is reached. This movement occurs across
a partially _________ membrane.

Activity 2
Osmosis in potato tissue
Osmosis is a specialized form of diffusion, a process in which molecules
move across a semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis applies specifically to
water molecules that behave in this way, moving from a region of high
water concentration to a region of low water concentration. Also known as
moving down a concentration gradient, this movement can be described
below.

Materials:
Fig 8. Ex. of soaking potato into the
water.
1. 1 pc. of potato
2. 2 pcs. of Transparent glass or plastic cup
3. Pure water or tap water
Procedures:

1.  Slice ½ of 1pc. of potato.

2.  Using the weighing scale, weight 1 pc. of potato using the unit of gram.
3.  Prepare the 2 pcs of transparent glass filled with 1 cup (transparent glass) with 500 ml pure water
and the second cup filled with 250 ml pure water.

4.  Immerse 1 sliced potato into the 1 cup and the 2 cup the other half.
st nd

5.  Leave this for about 1 hour.

6.  After 1 hour, weigh the potato. Record your data using the table below.
Concentration of solution 500 ml 250 ml
Weight before immersion (g)
Weight after immersion (g)
Difference in weight (g)

1. Which potato has more weight (in 500 ml or in 250 ml.)?_______________________________

2. How much is the difference in weight of potato immersed in 500 ml and 250
ml? _________________________________________________________________________
Processing Questions:
1. Explain the meaning of the following:
a. Secretory
vesicles____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
b. Invagination
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the effect of osmosis on the cells of potato?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

INTEGRATION
Closure/Synthesis
What You Learned Today
Direction: Think about what you did in your two days working on your module. Write 3 sentences
describing what you learned. You may choose any topic for this lesson.

Day1:______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Day2:_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Reflection Guide
When we think about health and nutrition, most of us do not even think about how nutrition connects to
the cells in our body and impacts our health. The human cell is the source of the body’s energy supply; it
keeps us not only functioning at optimal health, but functioning at all. When our cells are healthy, we are
healthy, and when our cells are sick, we get sick.
Why it is important to eat healthy foods?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
How do the foods help maintain the nutrients in the cells?  And what action plan do you apply for healthy
living? 
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

INTERVENTION
Assignment/Study tips:
Fill out the table below. Identify the following types of bulk transport briefly.
1. Endocytosis
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Exocytosis
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Type of Bulk Transport Description Examples

Phagocytosis

Pinocytosis

Receptor mediated endocytosis

Endocytosis

Post Assessment
You are now on your final output. Considering what you learned from these lessons, you can apply your learning by
answering these ten questions below. Encircle the correct letter in each item. 

1.What must materials be dissolved in to pass through a cell membrane

a. water b. oxygen c. blood d. all of the choices

2. What is it called when molecules move from an area of high concentration to an area of low
concentration?
a. equilibrium b. diffusion c. osmosis d. cell transport

3. What does it mean that a cell membrane is semipermeable?

a. It allows all substances in b. it allows nothing in c. it allows some substances d. none of the
choices

4. a person’s tongue cells after finishing eating a salty French fry would
a. get smaller b. remain the same c. get bigger d. will change it color

5. Which of the following statements is true for exocytosis?

a. It helps in the intake of large materials by the cell.
b. It is a form of active transport.
c. It occurs without the help of any cell organelle.
d. It does not require energy

6. Cell drinking is referred to as

a. phagocytosis b. exocytosis c. pinocytosis d. endocytosis

7. building material of cell wall is carried through the

a. phagocytosis b. exocytosis c. pinocytosis d. endocytosis

8. Engulfing of bacteria by white blood cells is called as

a. phagocytosis b. exocytosis c. pinocytosis d. endocytosis

9. The network of cell membranes that is interconnected by vesicles budding off and fusing is called the:
a. endoplasmic reticulum b. exomembrane system c. cytoskeleton d. endomembrane system

10. Which of the following substances is most likely to be brought into a cell by receptor-mediated
endocytosis?
a. cholesterol bound to a protein ligand b. a sodium ion c. glucose d. an amino acid