Question

You discover a new interesting secondary transporter (good joby). Which of the following transporter types could your secondary transporter be, based on what you know about secondary transporters? You don't need to worry about what it transports or concentrations of molecules). There may be more than one correct answer, select all that apply.

O symport
O antiport
O factitated diffusion channel
O uniport

Answer 1

A new secondary transporter could potentially be a symport or antiport, as symporters move substances in the same direction, and antiporters move substances in opposite directions, both utilizing an existing electrochemical gradient.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has asked to identify which types of transporters a newly discovered secondary transporter could be. Secondary transporters are proteins that facilitate the movement of molecules across cell membranes without directly using ATP, but instead, rely on the electrochemical gradient established by primary active transport. Based on known secondary transporter mechanisms, the new transporter could potentially be a symport or an antiport. A symport mechanism moves two or more substances in the same direction simultaneously, while an antiport mechanism moves two or more substances in opposite directions. The option for facilitated diffusion channel and uniport are incorrect because facilitated diffusion channels utilize a concentration gradient for transport without coupling the movement of another substance, and a uniporter moves only a single substance in one direction, not engaging in secondary transport. Therefore, the potential types of secondary transporters could be symport or antiport.