Definition of facilitated

Answer 1

Facilitated diffusion (or facilitated transport) is a process of diffusion, a form of passive transport. Polar molecules and charged ions are dissolved in water but they can not diffuse freely across cell membranes due to the hydrophobic nature of the lipids that make up the lipid bilayers. Only small nonpolar molecules, such as oxygen can easily diffuse across the plasma membrane. All polar molecules should be transported across membranes by proteins that form transmembrane channels. These channels are gated so they can open and close, thus regulating the flow of ions or small polar molecules. Larger molecules are transported by transmembrane carrier proteins, such as permeases that change their conformation as the molecules are carried through, for example glucose or amino acids.