Biological proton pumping in an oscillating electric field.
Biological proton pumping in an oscillating electric field.
复制标题
振荡电场中的生物质子泵送。
DOI：
10.1103/physrevlett.103.268102
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发表时间：
2009
影响因子：
8.6
通讯作者：
Hummer,Gerhard
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kim,YoungC;Furchtgott,LeonA;Hummer,Gerhard
Time-dependent external perturbations provide powerful probes of the function of molecular machines. Here we study biological proton pumping in an oscillating electric field. The protein cytochromeoxidase is the main energy transducer in aerobic life, converting chemical energy into an electric potential by pumping protons across a membrane. With the help of master-equation descriptions that recover the key thermodynamic and kinetic properties of this biological “fuel cell,” we show that the proton pumping effi<?format ?>ciency and the electronic currents in steady state depend significantly on the frequency and amplitude of the applied field, allowing us to distinguish between different microscopic mechanisms of the machine. A spectral analysis reveals dominant reaction steps consistent with an electron-gated pumping mechanism.
