title: Energy Equivalence of Information in the Mitochondrion and the Thermodynamic Efficiency of ATP Synthase.
abstract: Half a century ago, Johnson and Knudsen resolved the puzzle of the apparent low efficiency of the kidney (∼ 0.5%) compared to most other bodily organs (∼ 40%) by taking into account the entropic cost of ion sorting, the principal function of this organ. Similarly, it is shown that the efficiency of energy transduction of the chemiosmotic proton-motive force by ATP synthase is closer to 90% instead of the oft-quoted textbook value of only 60% when information theoretic considerations are applied to the mitochondrion. This high efficiency is consistent with the mechanical energy transduction of ATP synthase known to be close to the 100% thermodynamic limit. It would have been wasteful for evolution to maximize the mechanical energy transduction to 100% while wasting 40% of the chemiosmotic free energy in the conversion of the proton-motive force into mechanical work before being captured as chemical energy in adenosine 5'-triphosphate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Physics, Mount Saint Vincent University , Halifax, NS, Canada B3M 2J6.|Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University , Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4J3.|Department of Chemistry, Saint Mary's University , Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 3C3.
authors.forename: Chérif F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Matta
authors.affiliation: Hunter College and the Graduate School, City University of New York , New York, New York 10065, United States.
authors.forename: Lou
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Massa
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000818:Animals; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D018892:Proton-Motive Force; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases