Cotransporter
Definition
A cotransporter is a type of membrane transport protein that facilitates transport across a biological membrane of two species of substrate (ion or molecule) in a coupled fashion: it moves one species along its concentration gradient and the other species opposite its concentration gradient.
Cotransporters stand in contrast with uniporters: a uniporter transports only one species of substrate.
Relation with other concepts
Broader concepts
| Concept | Meaning | Relationship with the concept of cotransporter | Intermediate notions |
|---|---|---|---|
| membrane transport protein | protein that facilitates movement across a biological membrane | cotransporters are a type of membrane transport protein; uniporters are another kind | |FULL LIST, MORE INFO |
| transmembrane protein | protein that is attached to both sides of the bilipid layer of a biological membrane | (via membrane transport protein) | Membrane transport protein|FULL LIST, MORE INFO |
| integral membrane protein | protein that is permanently attached to a biological membrane | (via transmembrane protein) | Membrane transport protein|FULL LIST, MORE INFO |
| membrane protein | protein that interacts with a biological membrane | (via integral membrane protein) | Membrane transport protein|FULL LIST, MORE INFO |
Narrower concepts
| Concept | Meaning | Relationship with the concept of cotransporter | Intermediate notions |
|---|---|---|---|
| antiporter | coupled transporter where one entity is transported from inside to outside, the other is transported from outside to inside | antiporter is a type of cotransporter where the two transports are in opposite directions; symporters transport both in the same direction | |FULL LIST, MORE INFO |
| symporter | coupled transporter where both entities are transported in the same direction | symporter is a type of cotransporter where the two transports are in opposite directions; antiporters transport both in opposite directions | |FULL LIST, MORE INFO |