The paper
R.G. Efremov et al., “The architecture of respiratory complex I,” Nature, 465:441–45, 2010. http://bit.ly/protonpump
The finding
Although the molecular machines that power ATP synthesis via trans-membrane proton gradients are well known, how the gradient is created in the first place is more mysterious. Now, a crystal structure of complex I, the first group of proteins involved in generating energy from the oxidation of glucose, shows how it uses unusual piston-shaped molecules to pump protons across the membrane.
The surprise
The mechanism proposed by Leonid Sazanov’s group at the Medical Research Council in Cambridge is “almost completely unexpected,” says Faculty Member Thomas Meier. Unlike the ATP synthase, which “drives protons across the membrane in a rotary turbine-like motion,” writes Faculty member Nathan Nelson in his review, the transfer of electrons from NADH cause a slight widening of one part of the complex, forcing the long helix to move like ...
