Uniporters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of protein that facilitates the transport of a single type of molecule across a biological membrane
2. A channel or carrier that moves one specific substance in or out of a cell
3. An integral membrane protein that enables the passive or active transport of one molecule at a time across cell membranes

Etymology: "Uniporters" is the plural of "uniporter," a biological term for a membrane protein that carries one kind of molecule across a cell membrane. The word is a compound of the combining form "uni-," from Latin "unus" meaning "one," and "porter," a carrier or bearer, which in biology has been applied to transport proteins. The two parts together describe a protein that carries just one substance. The contrast with related terms explains the coinage. Biologists also distinguish symporters, which move two molecules in the same direction, and antiporters, which exchange one molecule for another in opposite directions. The uni- prefix marks the simplest case: one molecule moving alone, typically down its concentration gradient through a membrane channel-like mechanism.

Synonyms: transporter, carrier

Antonyms: antiporter, symporter