Question

What is the sodium ions and potassium pump?

Where do you find the pumps (which cells)?

When the sodium-potassium pump is found, which ions do you find inside the cell?

Which ions do you find outside of the cells?

What is the importance of the pump to muscle physiology?

Answer 1

Answer

• A sodiuim-potassium ion pump is a protein pump embedded in the cell membrane that helps in movement of sodium and potassium ions in and out of the cell. It requires ATP and hence, this is an active transport mechanism.
• These pumps are mainly present in skeletal muscle cells, neurons, cells of proximal and distal convoluted tubules in nephron.
• When the sodium-potassium pump is found, the potassium ions are found inside the cell.
• The sodium ions are found outside the cell.
• In muscle physiology, after muscle contraction, in order to restore resting membrane potential these pumps transport sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions inside the cell. As 3 sodium ions are exchange with 2 potassium ions, it helps in maintaining negative charge of the membrane inside the cell.