The aerobic mitochondrial ATP synthesis from a comprehensive point of view

Abstract

Most of the ATP to satisfy the energetic demands of the cell is produced by the F 1 F o -ATP synthase (ATP synthase) which can also function outside the mitochondria. Active oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) was shown to operate in the photoreceptor outer segment, myelin sheath, exosomes, microvesicles, cell plasma membranes and platelets. The mitochondria would possess the exclusive ability to assemble the OxPhos molecular machinery so to share it with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and eventually export the ability to aerobically synthesize ATP in true extra-mitochondrial districts. The ER lipid rafts expressing OxPhos components is indicative of the close contact of the two organelles, bearing different evolutionary origins, to maximize the OxPhos efficiency, exiting in molecular transfer from the mitochondria to the ER. This implies that its malfunctioning could trigger a generalized oxidative stress. This is consistent with the most recent interpretations of the evolutionary symbiotic process whose necessary prerequisite appears to be the presence of the internal membrane system inside the eukaryote precursor, of probable archaeal origin allowing the engulfing of the α-proteobacterial precursor of mitochondria. The process of OxPhos in myelin is here studied in depth. A model is provided contemplating the biface arrangement of the nanomotor ATP synthase in the myelin sheath.

Detection of heroin addiction- and relapse-induced axonal transport dysfunction in the brain in vivo by MRI

“…Mitochondria are the main organelles that produce energy, and mitochondrial destruction reduces the production of ATP, leading to impaired axonal transport (Akbari et al 2019;Zinsmaier et al 2009). ATP synthase and COX IV are key enzymes for supplying energy to the cell (Fernandez et al 2019;Morelli et al 2020). COX IV is a nuclearencoded mitochondrial protein that plays an essential role in oxidative phosphorylation and axonal function (Aschra et al 2012).…”

Biomolecular Basis of Cellular Consciousness via Subcellular Nanobrains

“…It is clear from the cyanobacterial invention of photosynthesis, a process generating the organic substances from inorganic ones, that photon-induced excitations of light-sensitive proteins release electrons, which then move via dedicated protein–protein complexes (donors and acceptors of electrons) of the photosynthetic apparatus [ 119 , 120 ]. Similar phenomena, based on moving electrons, are driving aerobic respiration in mitochondria [ 117 , 121 , 122 , 123 ]. Bioelectricity of membranes is controlled for the cellular handling of energy to support the life processes, and this bioenergetics is behind the emergence of mind and cognition [ 124 , 125 , 126 ].…”

“…One of the most important messages from Szent-Györgyi’s research is that life is based on electron transport chains starting with the photosynthetic pigments excited with photons arriving from the Sun [ 119 , 120 , 151 , 152 ]. Similarly, excited and moveable electrons also underlie mitochondrial respiration processes [ 121 , 122 , 123 , 152 , 153 ]. Both the photosynthetic and respiratory super-complexes rely on membranes allowing their assembly and function.…”

The Proton in Biochemistry: Impacts on Bioenergetics, Biophysical Chemistry, and Bioorganic Chemistry

“…However, Mitchell's compatriot RJP Williams placed the driving force along the membrane surface and within the membrane (Williams, 1961) (Williams, 1978). Much early evidence favored the importance of Mitchell's delocalized bulk-to-bulk protonmotive force; however, by the late 1970s, substantial evidence supporting the importance of Williams's localized surface-to-surface force was beginning to accumulate (Kell, 1979) (Ferguson, 1985), and the localized protonmotive force is now widely accepted (Dilley, 2004) (Mulkidjanian et al, 2006) (Brändén et al, 2006) (Lee J. W., 2020) (Lee JW., 2020) (Springer et al, 2011) (Weichselbaum et al, 2017) (Gutman and Nachliel, 1995) (Kotlyar et al, 1994) (Heberle et al, 1994) (Nachliel and Gutman, 1996) (Gabriel and Teissie, 1996) (Gopta et al, 1999) (Cherepanov et al, 2003) (Mulkidjanian et al, 2005) (Rieger et al, 2014) (Toth et al, 2020) (Nilsson et al, 2016) (Sjöholm et al, 2017) (Morelli et al, 2020). Therefore, protons driving ATP synthesis need not come from the bulk phase, and thus the number of free protons calculated from bulk phase pH measurements may be irrelevant to bioenergetic coupling, at least under some conditions (Ferguson, 1985) (Dilley, 2004).…”