You are working with a neurotransmitter, that when bound to its receptor, will o

Question

You are working with a neurotransmitter, that when bound to its receptor, will open Cl- channels in the cell membrane of nerve cells. The extracellular Cl- concentration is O.1 M, the intracellular Cl- is 0.01, and Ecl- is -55mV. When the neurotransmitter binds to its receptor and the Cl- channels open...

A) which direction (into or out of the cell) will Cl- flow if acted on ONLY by its concentration gradient

B) which direction (into or out of the cell) will Cl- flow if acted on ONLY by its electrical gradient

C) which direction (into or out of the cell) will Cl- flow, if acted on BOTH gradients ( which gradient is stronger and how did you determine this? How will this change the resting membrane potential?

Explanation / Answer

A) Cl- will flow inside the cell as the concentration is higher outside the cell.

B) Cl- will move outside the cell as the inner side of the cell is negatively charged while outside is positively charged.

C) Cl- will move inside the cell because concentration gradient is stronger. It is because the resting potential of neuron cell membrane - 70 mV while current potential is - 55 mV, thus allowing further movement of chloride ions inside the cell to achieve resting potential. If more chloride ions will move into the cell then, potential could be more negative and cause hyperpolarization.

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