Cell Language Theory, The: Connecting Mind And Matter

90 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter

b2861 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter “6x9”

the D and K pathways (see Figures 3.20, 3.39, and 3.40), the former

involving an aspartic acid residue (D) and the latter an arginine residue

(K). Two protons are thought to be transferred through each of these path-

ways per two electrons that are transferred from two cytochrome c mole-

cules to an oxygen atom at the heme a-a 3 -CuB reaction center to produce a

water molecule. In other words, the four protons are driven to move

through these pathways coupled to the exergonic chemical reaction of the

oxygen reduction — two across the membrane through the D pathway, and

two from the matrix (or N) side to the interior of cytochrome c oxidase as

schematically depicted in the upper left-hand corner of Figure 3.20(a). The

protons moving through the K pathway may be identified as examples of

the Williams protons and those passing through the D pathways as exam-

ples of the Mitchell protons. If these assignments turn out to be valid, it

may be justified to conclude that cytochrome c oxidase contains both ETC

and PTC in agreement with Figure 3.4(a).

The mitochondrial inner membrane supports three kinds of proton-

coupled charge fluxes — the electron, the hydride ion, and the phosphoron

Figure 3.19 The phosphate fluxes of Lipmann [178]. ~P is equivalent to the phosphoron,

a new term coined to represent the chemically active phosphoryl group, PO 3 – [6, p. 212].

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