Transductional and structural principles of the mitochondrial transducing unit

The electromechanochemical model has been reformulated to take account of the close connection between energy coupling and catalysis. In catalysis the protein is programmed to utilize thermal energy to produce local strains in the catalytic cavity and to generate conformational states that favor substrate --> product conversion. Energy coupling involves transfer of vibrational energy through the protein. Underlying these two energy transductional maneuvers is the concept of a pulsating protein capable of redistributing electromechanochemical potential energy in a programmed fashion. The mitochondrial supermolecule has been defined, and it has been shown how the supermolecule concept rationalizes the coupling options, the stoichiometry of the coupling complexes, and the multistep character of electron transfer.

Electromechanochemical model of mitochondrial structure and function

A NEW MODEL OF MITOCHONDRIAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IS PROPOSED ON THE BASIS OF FOUR FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS: (a) electrons and protons are separated in the electron transfer complexes; (b) the ATPase undergoes conformational state-transitions induced by an electric field; (c) energy is transferred by an electric field effect; and (d) a conformationally strained protein system can be relaxed via a bond-forming chemical reaction. The model can explain all of the mitochondrial coupled processes and, in addition, it provides a reasonable rationalization of the correlation between mitochondrial structure and function.