Sodium potassium pump

The sodium-potassium pump is an antiporter transport protein . This pump is responsible for the usage of almost 30% of the body's ATP, this is due to 1 molecule of ATP being hydrolysed as three molecules of Na+ are pumped out of the cell and two molecules of K+ are pumped into the cell (Alberts et al. 2008, pg 661). The sodium-potassium pump is a very important protein in our cell membranes. The pump can be used to generate ATP when supplies are low by working in the opposite way (Alberts et al. 2008, pg 662). The pump is also used to control the osmolarity of the cell, by pumping the Na+ out that have diffused into the cell down their high electrochemical gradient the cell can be kept at osmotic equilibrium (Alberts et al. 2008 pg 663). The pump plays a large role in nerve cells and initiating action potentials. Action potentials could not occur without these cells. They initiate the first part of the depolarisation before the voltage gated channels come into play. The sodium-potassium pumps also recover the axon to its resting state of -60mV after and action potential has passed.