We investigate the transport of proteins inside the proteasome and propose an active transport mechanism based on a spatially asymmetric interaction potential of peptide chains. The transport is driven by fluctuations which are always present in such systems. We compute the peptide-size dependent transport rate which is essential for the functioning of the proteasome. In agreement with recent experiments, varying temperature changes the transport mechanism qualitatively. [4,5,6] and to predict the cleavage results [7], however, basic principles of the proteasome operation mechanisms are still poorly understood, mainly due to the lack of experimental results.In this Letter, we focus on understanding of protein translocation inside the proteasome, leaving the mechanisms of cleavage, targeting, etc. beyond the scope. The main question is: given proteasomes are highly complex pipe-like structures of tenthousands atoms of almost perfect left-right symmetry with respect to the axis of the pipe [9], thus, operating bi-directional. To be cleaved, a protein has to enter the proteasome at one side, pass the active sites (where the cleavage occurs), which makes about 1/3 of the total length of the pipe. Then the cleaved peptides have to pass all the way through the pipe to finally reappear at the other side of the proteasome. Although there is a number of examples where protein transport in cells occurs due to diffusion, i.e. Brownian motion [8], diffusive transport may be excluded as the main mechanism for translocation in the proteasome because of the enormous cargo [10]. Also other proposed transport mechanisms, such as the power stroke model of protein translocation do not suffice to explain translocation [11]. Therefore, the question arises how the protein's motion inside the proteasome is driven?Since proteasomes are large multi-subunit structures consisting of proteins, the mechanism of the protein transport is directly related to protein-protein interaction. In [12] it has been noticed that if attachment and detachment rates are specified asymmetrically, the protein-protein binding interaction acts as a ratchet. Following this argumentation, active protein transport, based on the mechanism of a molecular ratchet, has been studied for transport through membranes [13] and has been also discussed as a mechanism for cytosolic destruction by the proteasome [14]. Moreover, maximum likelihood tests have shown that other models, e.g. the power stroke model of protein translocation, do not lead to better agreement with the experiment than the Brownian ratchet model [11]. Noteworthy, in these ratchet effects transport is possible only in a certain temperature interval, and stochasticity, intrinsically present due to fluctuations in any biochemical reaction [15,16], provides the driving mechanism.Here we propose a model for active protein translocation in the proteasome to explain the peptide size dependence of the transport velocity as well as its temperature dependence which possibly explains the mechanism of temperature r...