Question
Membrane transport refers to the mechanisms by which solutes cross the plasma membrane, but there are additional prokaryotic cell structures through which a solute would pass when entering or exiting a cell. Sequence the path of a solute from the external environment to the cytoplasm of a prokaryotic cell.
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CytoplasmExternal Environment
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CytoplasmExternal Environment
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GPT-4o mini
In a prokaryotic cell, the path of a solute from the external environment to the cytoplasm can be sequenced as follows:
1. **External Environment**: The solute initially resides outside the prokaryotic cell in the surrounding environment.
2. **Cell Wall**: The solute first encounters the cell wall, which is a rigid structure primarily composed of peptidoglycan in bacteria. Depending on the solute's size and nature, it may pass through the cell wall, which has pores that can allow the diffusion of small molecules.
3. **Plasma Membrane**: After passing through the cell wall, the solute interacts with the plasma membrane (or cytoplasmic membrane). The plasma membrane is a semipermeable barrier composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins. Solutes can cross this membrane by various mechanisms, including passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, or active transport (through transport proteins).
4. **Cytoplasm**: Once the solute successfully crosses the plasma membrane, it enters the cytoplasm of the prokaryotic cell.
Thus, the complete sequence is: **External Environment → Cell Wall → Plasma Membrane → Cytoplasm**.
1. **External Environment**: The solute initially resides outside the prokaryotic cell in the surrounding environment.
2. **Cell Wall**: The solute first encounters the cell wall, which is a rigid structure primarily composed of peptidoglycan in bacteria. Depending on the solute's size and nature, it may pass through the cell wall, which has pores that can allow the diffusion of small molecules.
3. **Plasma Membrane**: After passing through the cell wall, the solute interacts with the plasma membrane (or cytoplasmic membrane). The plasma membrane is a semipermeable barrier composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins. Solutes can cross this membrane by various mechanisms, including passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, or active transport (through transport proteins).
4. **Cytoplasm**: Once the solute successfully crosses the plasma membrane, it enters the cytoplasm of the prokaryotic cell.
Thus, the complete sequence is: **External Environment → Cell Wall → Plasma Membrane → Cytoplasm**.