Critical analysis of objections against the biological molecular energy machines.
In the past, two important objections against McClare's idea of biological molecular energy machines were raised. One of the criticisms was concerned with the origin of energy gained in ATP cleavage and with an interpretation of McClare's "excited vibrational state." The former argument reveals a failure of the critics to comprehend McClare's approach. As to the excited vibrational state, it can be identified with nonequilibrium conformational states of the unit rather than with a single vibrational mode. The other criticism based on Brillouin's energy cost of measurement argued that reversible operation of biological molecular energy machines would be virtually impossible. Using propagation velocities of deformations of the unit's structure (instead of velocity of light), the objections against reversibility are invalidated even in the framework of the critic's approach. McClare's idea and relevant definitions are thus physically correct.
Kremen
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Institute of Microbiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Praha.
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D013816:Thermodynamics
D004798:Enzymes; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate