Biology Forums - Study Force

Hint given for the question: Remember what drives the maintenance of the internal environment of the cell.

My attempted answer:

A transmembrane potential that is zero means that the electrical and chemical gradient across a plasma membrane has been eliminated.
No transmembrane potential means neurons cant transmit information and skeletal muscles cannot contract. this is because an action potential cannot be generated.
But I dont know what the state of the cell would be called. Would it be called inactive?

Remember what drives the maintenance of the internal environment of the cell.

The factors that drive the maintenance of the internal environment of the cell:
Passive diffusion such as osmosis and leak channels that passively move ions into and out of the cell
Active transport such as sodium and potassium exchange pumps

these factors aim to maintain a resting membrane potential for the cell. For example, the resting membrane potential of a neuron is -70mV.

When the membrane potential is zero, i think this means the cell membrane is freely permeable to all ions because there is now no more concentration gradient. both sides of the cell have equal concentration of ions.
i still dont know how to describe the 'state' of the cell if it had no membrane potential.

The transmembrane potential is important in maintaining the integrity of a cell because it greatly increases the cell's sensitivity to its environment.

Hello,

The question that I'm having trouble with is "What would the state be of a cell with no transmembrane potential? Why?"

The only states that I can think of for a cell is 'resting membrane potential' and excited state. However, these 'states' have a transmembrane potential.

I don't know what the 'state' would be called for a cell with no transmembrane potential.

Any help would be much appreciated! javascript:void(0);