Model of active transport of ions in biomembranes based on ATP-dependent change of height of diffusion barriers to ions

A closed model of the active transport was constructed taking into account ATP-dependent opening and closing of barriers to ions and the relationship between the membrane potential and the work of ionic pumps under the condition of electroneutrality inside the cell. The internal consistency of the model was verified by the fulfillment of Onsager's reciprocity relation. It was demonstrated that at the limit of large energy barriers the operation of the system of the active transport is equivalent to the “turning segment” model, which was proposed by the authors earlier. Values of the resting potential and the intracellular concentration of ions were obtained for different types of cells. These results were in qualitative agreement with relevant experimental data.