A.
In the plasma membrane of an animal cell, an ATP-driven Na + pump transports Na + out of the cell against its electrochemical gradient; this Na + can then flow back into the cell, down its electrochemical gradient, through various Na + gradient-driven pumps.
B.
The influx of Na + through these gradientdriven pumps provides the energy for the active transport of many other substances into the cell against their electrochemical gradients. If the ATP-driven Na + pump ceased operating, the Na + gradient would soon run down, and transport through Na + gradient-driven pumps would come to a halt.
C.
For this reason, the ATP-driven Na + pump has a central role in the active transport of small molecules across the plasma membrane of animal cells.
D.
Plant cells, fungi, and many bacteria use ATP-driven H + pumps in an analogous way: in pumping H + out of the cell, these proteins create an electrochemical gradient of H+ across the plasma membrane that is subsequently harnessed for solute transport.