| The energy released when cells
break down molecules of fat and carbohydrates is used to create an excess
of protons on one side of a membrane. Using ATP synthase, cells harness
this proton imbalance to power the synthesis of ATP, which stores the energy
until it is needed.
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Original Image |
| In Boyer's model, the key to this process is a tiny shaft running through the middle of a barrel-like portion of the enzyme. A flow of protons through the membrane makes the shaft spin, which sucks in raw materials and blows out the fresh ATP. The model has been instrumental in overturning simplistic "lock-and-key" explanations of how enzymes work, in which chemicals simply drop into inflexible enzyme grooves, react and then depart. | The structure contains 22722 atoms and 23211
bonds connected as 2987 amino acid groups. These build a 3D protein macro-structure which contains 7 protein chains : A , B , C , D , E , G (this last one is the barrel link shaft which spins, shown better with this view ). The protein structure contains 120 helix units and 94 sheet units and the x-ray structure was found to contain 5 ligated ADP molecules . |
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