title: Chemiosmotic systems in bioenergetics: H(+)-cycles and Na(+)-cycles.
abstract: The development of membrane bioenergetic studies during the last 25 years has clearly demonstrated the validity of the Mitchellian chemiosmotic H+ cycle concept. The circulation of H+ ions was shown to couple respiration-dependent or light-dependent energy-releasing reactions to ATP formation and performance of other types of membrane-linked work in mitochondria, chloroplasts, some bacteria, tonoplasts, secretory granules and plant and fungal outer cell membranes. A concrete version of the direct chemiosmotic mechanism, in which H+ potential formation is a simple consequence of the chemistry of the energy-releasing reaction, is already proved for the photosynthetic reaction centre complexes. Recent progress in the studies on chemiosmotic systems has made it possible to extend the coupling-ion principle to an ion other than H+. It was found that, in certain bacteria, as well as in the outer membrane of the animal cell, Na+ effectively substitutes for H+ as the coupling ion (the chemiosmotic Na+ cycle). A precedent is set when the Na+ cycle appears to be the only mechanism of energy production in the bacterial cell. In the more typical case, however, the H+ and Na+ cycles coexist in one and the same membrane (bacteria) or in two different membranes of one and the same cell (animals). The sets of delta mu H+ and delta mu Na+ generators as well as delta mu H+ and delta mu Na+ consumers found in different types of biomembranes, are listed and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioenergetics, A. N. Belozersky Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow State University, USSR.
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Skulachev
mesh_terms: D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D009995:Osmosis; D011522:Protons; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D012964:Sodium