Question

Please help!!

Glucose is required in all human body cells for the process of cellular respiration. Cellular respiration takes place in the
cytosol and the mitochondria, producing ATP molecules that act as the cell's "energy currency." ATP is essential for cell
survival. Glucose is the starting material for cellular respiration. In a process called glycolysis, glucose is converted into
pyruvate that can then enter the mitochondria to continue cellular respiration. Glucose is a monosaccharide, CoH12O6, found
in many types of food we consume, especially carbohydrate-rich breads and grains.
Though all cells need to uptake glucose for cellular respiration, consider two examples: an epithelial cell lining the stomach,
and a red blood cell.
The epithelial cells of the stomach control food transport, while red blood cells are involved in oxygen transport.
a) Choose either the gut epithelial or red blood cell. How do you expect glucose to be transported into the cell? Explain why
this method is expected.
b) Explain why another method of cell transport would not be used to transport glucose into the cell.

Answer 1

Gut epithelial cells typically use facilitated diffusion via GLUT proteins to transport glucose, as it doesn't require additional energy, unlike secondary active transport which goes against the concentration gradient and needs ATP.

Step-by-step explanation:

Glucose Transport into Cells

When considering how glucose is transported into a cell such as a gut epithelial cell, it's important to know that glucose is a vital source of energy required for cellular respiration. In the gut epithelial cell, glucose is typically transported through facilitated diffusion using GLUT proteins. This method is favored because it allows glucose to move from an area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration without the cell expending extra energy.

Another method of glucose transport is secondary active transport, where glucose transport takes place against its concentration gradient. However, this method is not typically used in gut epithelial cells for glucose uptake because it requires energy in the form of ATP, which is more efficiently used when the ATP is produced as a result of cellular respiration. In red blood cells, however, glucose uptake is critical for producing ATP as these cells lack mitochondria and solely rely on glycolysis for ATP production.