Proton-Electrostatic Localization: Explaining the Bioenergetic Conundrum in Alkalophilic Bacteria

Lee, James W.

doi:10.4172/2167-7662.1000121

Cited by 6 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Therefore, it is not realistic for such cardiolipin "localized proton microcircuits" to function. As we can expect from the transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory 27-31 that cardiolipin is not required for the formation of protonic capacitor 28,29,39 , cardiolipin is indeed dispensable for oxidative phosphorylation as recently confirmed by an independent experimental study 52 . We have recently also clarified that the protons and ions of any permanent "electric double layer" formed as a result of membrane surface's fixed-charges such as the negatively-charged phosphate groups of any phospholipids including cardiolipin that permanently attract protons and ions are irrelevant to the membrane potential ψ ∆ in proton-coupling bioenergetics 29 .…”

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confidence: 66%

“…These intriguing questions may now be answered with the author's transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory [27][28][29][30][31] . Recently, we introduced a new protonic motive force (pmf) equation 29 to account for the effect of localized protons [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] at a liquid-membrane interface in mitochondria, bacteria and other biological systems.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Recently, we introduced a new protonic motive force (pmf) equation 29 to account for the effect of localized protons [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] at a liquid-membrane interface in mitochondria, bacteria and other biological systems. For example, with a preliminary application of the transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory [27][28][29][30][31] , we were recently able to show a large enough pmf to synthesize ATP in alkalophilic bacteria 28,40 , elucidating the decades-longstanding bioenergetic conundrum [41][42][43][44] on how the bacteria can synthesize ATP for cell growth [45][46][47] .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…More recently, employing the Lee transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory 27,28,30,31 with a set of new equations for pmf that takes electrostatically localized protons into account, we have now achieved much better understanding of membrane potential ψ ∆ as the voltage difference contributed by the localized surface charge density at the liquid-membrane interface as in "a transmembrane electrostatically localized protons/ cations-membrane-anions capacitor" 29 .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In this article, to answer the fundamental questions on the biological significance of mitochondrial cristae formation, the transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory [28][29][30][31] is now further employed in calculating the numbers of electrostatically localized protons at the liquid-membrane interface per mitochondrion. Furthermore, the geometric effect of cristae on enhancing localized proton density at the cristae tips is analyzed using an ellipsoidal-shaped mitochondrial crista as a protonic capacitor in accordance with the Lee transmembrane electrostatic proton localization theory [27][28][29][30][31] . This work enables much better understanding of mitochondrial cristae ( Fig.…”

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Protonic Capacitor: Elucidating the biological significance of mitochondrial cristae formation

Lee

2020

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Lee for decades, it was not entirely clear why mitochondria develop cristae? the work employing the transmembrane-electrostatic proton localization theory reported here has now provided a clear answer to this fundamental question. Surprisingly, the transmembrane-electrostatically localized proton concentration at a curved mitochondrial crista tip can be significantly higher than that at the relatively flat membrane plane regions where the proton-pumping respiratory supercomplexes are situated. The biological significance for mitochondrial cristae has now, for the first time, been elucidated at a protonic bioenergetics level: 1) The formation of cristae creates more mitochondrial inner membrane surface area and thus more protonic capacitance for transmembrane-electrostatically localized proton energy storage; and 2) The geometric effect of a mitochondrial crista enhances the transmembraneelectrostatically localized proton density to the crista tip where the Atp synthase can readily utilize the localized proton density to drive ATP synthesis.

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confidence: 66%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Protonic Capacitor: Elucidating the biological significance of mitochondrial cristae formation

Lee

2020

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Mitochondrial energetics with transmembrane electrostatically localized protons: do we have a thermotrophic feature?

Lee

2021

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Transmembrane electrostatically localized protons (TELP) theory has been recently recognized as an important addition over the classic Mitchell’s chemiosmosis; thus, the proton motive force (pmf) is largely contributed from TELP near the membrane. As an extension to this theory, a novel phenomenon of mitochondrial thermotrophic function is now characterized by biophysical analyses of pmf in relation to the TELP concentrations at the liquid-membrane interface. This leads to the conclusion that the oxidative phosphorylation also utilizes environmental heat energy associated with the thermal kinetic energy (kBT) of TELP in mitochondria. The local pmf is now calculated to be in a range from 300 to 340 mV while the classic pmf (which underestimates the total pmf) is in a range from 60 to 210 mV in relation to a range of membrane potentials from 50 to 200 mV. Depending on TELP concentrations in mitochondria, this thermotrophic function raises pmf significantly by a factor of 2.6 to sixfold over the classic pmf. Therefore, mitochondria are capable of effectively utilizing the environmental heat energy with TELP for the synthesis of ATP, i.e., it can lock heat energy into the chemical form of energy for cellular functions.

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Application of TELC model to neuroscience: Better elucidation for neural stimulation by touch

Lee

2024

Preprint

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The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was recently awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch”. It is well established that touch receptors (PIEZO) provide sensory inputs to inform the brain about objects in our environment. However, exactly how the transient ion transport activity of touch receptors could stimulate action potential firing seems still not entirely clear. In this article, the latest transmembrane-electrostatically localized protons/cations charges (TELC) theory is employed to better understand neural stimulation and action potential that we have recently identified as the voltage contributed by TELC at a neural liquid-membrane interface in a neural cell. The TELC density at the resting membrane potential of −70 mV is now calculated to be 3900 (protons + cations) per μm2 on extracellular membrane surface. At the stimulation threshold level (−55 mV), the TELC density is calculated to be 3100 (protons + cations) per μm2. Accordingly, the neural stimulation by touch can now be better understood by analyzing PIEZO ion conduction and TELC activity. The response time from PIEZO channel ion conduction activities to reduce the TELC density to the stimulation level of 3100 TELC per μm2 for action potential firing was calculated for the first time. The activities of a single or a few PIEZO channels may be sufficient to generate a “graded potential” to trigger an action potential spike firing. With a high number (200~300) of PIEZO channels activated by touch, it can generate the required “graded potential” to reach the stimulation threshold level (−55 mV) within 0.3 ms. Real-time action potential (Vt) with PIEZO mechanically-activated stimulation by touch is now, mathematically explained through a novel integral equation (Vt=-1/C ∫0t I(t)dt+ V0) of the net time-dependent transmembrane ion current I(t), which is fundamentally important to neuroscience.

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Proton-Electrostatic Localization: Explaining the Bioenergetic Conundrum in Alkalophilic Bacteria

Abstract: The decades-longstanding energetic conundrum of alkalophilic bacteria as to how they are able to synthesize ATP has now, for the first time, been clearly solved using the proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis [Bioenergetics 1:104;

Cited by 6 publications

References 60 publications

Protonic Capacitor: Elucidating the biological significance of mitochondrial cristae formation

Protonic Capacitor: Elucidating the biological significance of mitochondrial cristae formation

Mitochondrial energetics with transmembrane electrostatically localized protons: do we have a thermotrophic feature?

Application of TELC model to neuroscience: Better elucidation for neural stimulation by touch

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