Question
Intravenous (IV) therapy is used for fluid replacement in instances of dehydration in humans and other animals. One type of IV
fluid is essentially a saltwater solution. To determine the best concentration for therapy in people, a team of students is researching the effects of solutions of different salt concentrations on red blood cells. The following observations were made from three different red blood cell samples viewed under a microscope.
0.3% Saline (Cells swell) 0.9% Saline (Cells unchanged) 1.5% Saline (Cells shrink)
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: A
The figures illustrate the extremes of hypotonic (swollen cells) and hypertonic (shriveled cells) environments, so an extension would be to investigate the small range of acceptable salt concentrations in IV fluid solutions.
Question
Certain bacteria can use both ethyl alcohol and acetate as sources of nutrients. In an experiment where both nutrients are available to a bacterial population, the following results were obtained and graphed.
B. Repeat the original experiment, but add a substance known to block movement of molecules across aquaporins. Compare the rates on the two graphs.
C. Use two additional treatments, one containing only ethyl alcohol and one containing only acetate. Compare the graphs of these two treatments with the original graph.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: D
Active transport requires the availability of ATP. If the nutrients are actively transported, blocking ATP use should reduce the rate of transport along the whole concentration range. If these two graphs are the same as the original graph, the transport is passive. Separation of the nutrients eliminates the possibility that the two transport processes could interfere with each other.
Question
Researchers investigate the transport of a certain protein into cells by endocytosis. In an experiment, the researchers incubate the cells in the presence of the protein and measure the amount of the protein that is absorbed into the cells over a five-minute period.
Based on their observations, what should the researchers do to further clarify how the availability of the protein outside the cells affects the rate of endocytosis of the protein?
A. Incubate the cells in the absence of the protein.
B. Incubate the cells in the presence of several different proteins.
C. Incubate the cells in the presence of several different concentrations of the protein.
D. Incubate the cells in the presence of the protein for several different lengths of time.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: C
Changing the concentration of the protein will change the availability of the protein outside the cells.
Question
Figure 1 shows a model of how a channel protein influences the movement of a particle across a cell’s plasma membrane.
Figure 1. A section of a cell’s plasma membrane, showing a channel protein and a concentration gradient across the membrane
An investigator wants to understand whether a newly found membrane protein is involved in membrane transport of a certain particle. Which investigation will help determine whether the new membrane protein is a channel protein involved in membrane transport?
A. Add small nonpolar molecules to the extracellular space and measure the direction of particle movement of the molecules.
B. Measure the rate of extracellular fluid movement into the intracellular space.
C. Add more of the proteins to the plasma membrane and measure the rate of the particle movement.
D. Remove ATP from the intracellular space and measure the rate of the particle movement into the intracellular space.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: C
If the movement of particles is mediated by the channel protein, then an increase in proteins in the cell membrane should influence the rate of particle movement across the membrane.
Question
Water is constantly diffusing into the cytosol of freshwater single-celled organisms. In order to maintain the proper solute concentrations in the cytosol, contractile vacuoles pump out the excess water. An experimenter placed single-celled organisms into various saline concentrations and recorded the ATP used by the contractile vacuole. The data are shown in the graph.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans: D
If the environment is isotonic to the cell, the net flow of water due to diffusion is zero, and ATP is not used to pump water out of the cell.