What are the steps of the sodium-potassium pump cycle?
Posted September 15, 2023
Answer
There are six main steps involved in the sodium-potassium pump cycle.
- Binding of 3 sodium ions from the cytoplasm to the intracellular sites on the sodium-potassium pump.
- A phosphate group is transferred to the pump through the hydrolysis of ATP.
- The pump goes through a conformational change, creating an opening towards the exterior of the cell transporting sodium across the membrane.
- The conformational change exposes 2 potassium binding sites for 2 potassium ions to be picked up on the extracellular surface of the pump.
- The phosphate group is cleaved off and the pump shifts back to its original shape.
- The potassium is then released inside the cell, completing ion exchange.
Additional resources
Cell/Cytoplasmic Membrane Potential Activity & Analysis
Screen Quest™ Membrane Potential Assay Kit *Orange Fluorescence*