Active transport is a type of cellular transport in which molecules (such as glucose, ions, and amino acids) are transferred across a biological membrane to a place where there are already enough of them. As a result, molecules are moved across concentration gradients using chemical energy (for instance, ATP). Root hair cells and the small intestine wall are persistent active transport sites (villi).
Types of Active Transport:
There are two types of active transportation mechanisms such as;
Primary Active Transport
- The sodium-potassium pump, which transports Na+ and K+ into animal cells, is one of the most necessary pumps.
- The transport process is assorted as primary active transport since it uses ATP as an energy source.
- Also, there are the types of Primary Active Transporters:
- P-ATPase: sodium-potassium pump, calcium pump, proton pump
- F-ATPase: mitochondrial ATP synthase, chloroplast ATP synthase
- V-ATPase: vacuolar ATPase
- ABC Transporter (ATP binding tape): MDR, CFTR, and so on.
Secondary Active Transport
- Primary active transport creates electrochemical gradients that store energy that can be released as the ions plunged their gradients.
- Secondary active transport harnesses the energy stored in these gradients to move other substances in the opposite direction of their own gradients.