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Proton Pumping Mechanism In Cytochrome C Oxidase, Xiuhong Cai
Proton Pumping Mechanism In Cytochrome C Oxidase, Xiuhong Cai
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Cytochrome c Oxidase (CcO), is the terminal electron acceptor in the membrane bound aerobic respiratory chain. It reduces O2 to water. The energy released by this reaction is stored by pumping protons from the high pH, N-side of the membrane to the low pH, P-side. The generated proton gradient provides the motive force for synthesis of ATP by the ATP synthase.
Building a proton gradient across the membrane requires that proton transport must occur along controllable proton pathways to prevent proton leakage to the N-side. It has been suggested that CcO function requires proton transfer channels in both the …