Final answer:
A malfunctioning sodium-potassium pump would disrupt the ion concentration gradients, preventing membrane potential generation and leading to improper cellular functions like nerve impulse transmission. The cell might also swell with water and burst due to disturbed osmotic balance and could fail to transport necessary nutrients and waste effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a defect occurred such that the sodium-potassium pumps no longer functioned correctly, several detrimental things would occur in the cell. First, the concentration gradients of sodium and potassium across the cell membrane would not be maintained. This means there would be an accumulation of sodium ions inside the cell and loss of potassium ions, disrupting the balance.
Consequently, the cell would lose its ability to generate a membrane potential, which is critical for many cellular processes such as nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. Without this electrochemical gradient, cells would not undergo proper depolarization and repolarization necessary for action potentials.
Additionally, the cell could become swollen with water, potentially leading to lysis (bursting), because the osmotic balance would be disturbed. The lack of a proper sodium-potassium gradient would also impair the cell's ability to carry out secondary active transport, affecting the uptake of essential nutrients and the expulsion of waste products. In a wider context, a potassium deficiency can further exacerbate these problems, leading to severe cellular malfunction and overall physiological issues.