Definition
A membrane transport protein is a special kind of transmembrane protein associated with a biological membrane that facilitates the movement of one or more of these across the membrane: ions, small molecules, or macromolecules (such as other proteins). Note that a specific membrane transport protein may facilitate the movement of only a few specific ions across the biological membrane.
Relation with other concepts
Broader concepts
Narrower concepts
| Concept |
Meaning |
Relationship with the concept of membrane transport protein |
Intermediate notions
|
| solute carrier |
protein that facilitates transport of each solute it transports in only one direction (inside to outside or outside to inside) |
carriers are a particular kind of membrane transport protein |
|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|
| ion channel |
protein that facilitates diffusion of ions bidirectionally across the biological membrane |
ion channels are a particular kind of membrane transport protein |
|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|
| cotransporter |
protein that facilitates coupled transport of two species of substrate (ion or molecule): one along its concentration gradient and one against its concentration gradient |
cotransporter is a kind of membrane transport protein; another kind is uniporter |
|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|
| symporter |
cotransporter that transports both species of substrate (ion or molecule) in the same direction (e.g., both from inside to outside, or both from outside to inside) |
(via cotransporter) |
Cotransporter|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|
| antiporter |
cotransporter that transports both species of substrate (ion or molecule) in opposite directions, one from inside to outside and the other from outside to inside |
(via cotransporter) |
Cotransporter|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|
| uniporter |
membrane transport protein that just transports one species of substrate (ion or molecule) |
uniporter is a kind of membrane transport protein; another kind is cotransporter |
|FULL LIST, MORE INFO
|