Suppose the plasma membrane of a particular mammalian cell is much more permeable to water and urea than to any other solute. The water permeability is higher than the urea permeability. The cell is initially in a normal physiological saline solution and then is suddenly moved into a solution consisting of 600 mM urea as the only solute. The cell will:
A) Swell initially and continue to swell until lysis
B) Swell initially until it reaches osmotic equilibrium with the medium
C) Shrink initially and then swell until lysis
D) Shrink initially and stay shrunken
E) Swell initially and then shrink back to normal volume

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer of Suppose the plasma membrane of a particular mammalian cell is much more permeable to water and urea than to any other solute. The water permeability is higher than the urea permeability. The cell is initially in a normal physiological saline solution and then is suddenly moved into a solution consisting of 600 mM urea as the only solute. The cell will:
A) Swell initially and continue to swell until lysis
B) Swell initially until it reaches osmotic equilibrium with the medium
C) Shrink initially and then swell until lysis
D) Shrink initially and stay shrunken
E) Swell initially and then shrink back to normal volume

Suppose the Plasma Membrane of a Particular Mammalian Cell Is