STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND REGULATION OF F-TYPE ATP SYNTHASES

ATP合成酶是将营养物质或光合作用产生的能量转化为通用生物能量载体ATP（三磷酸腺苷）的分子机制。这是生命最基本的过程之一，从细菌到植物再到人类都是如此。了解细菌和线粒体ATP合酶如何在分子细节上起作用，将对医学（理解代谢紊乱、控制细胞死亡和衰老）和新型抗菌剂的设计产生广泛的影响。

ATP synthase is the molecular machinery that converts energy derived from nutrients or photosynthesis into the universal biological energy carrier ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This is one of the most fundamental processes of life and is conserved from bacteria to plants to humans. Understanding how bacterial and mitochondrial ATP synthases work in molecular detail will have wide-ranging implications for both medicine (in understanding metabolic disorders, controlled cell death and aging) and the design of new antibacterial agents.