Microbes 'MacGyver' membrane transport

(University of Groningen) A general concept in biology is that cells use two different systems to transport substances across their membrane: selective pores, which allow passive transport driven by a concentration gradient, and active transport complexes, which use energy to transport substances against a gradient. Now scientists from the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain have described a system that combines a pore and a transporter to import potassium ions into cells against an extreme concentration gradient.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news