Active Transport and Metabolism

Abstract

By definition active transport requires metabolic energy. In most cases of active transport, however, the energy consumption is too small to give a measureable contribution to the overall energy consumption of the cell. In such cases the active nature of the transport must be inferred from, for instance, net transport against an electrochemical potential gradient. There can be no doubt that active transport processes can be energized by anaerobic as well as aerobic metabolism. Thus active transport cannot be a specific consequence of either one. In recent years evidence has been accumulating that. certain active transports at least are energized by the splitting of energy rich phosphate bonds.