Cell Language Theory, The: Connecting Mind And Matter

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

passive and active ATP syntheses is that the structural changes undergone

by the ATPase when catalyzing the former belong to the category of “pas-

sive conformations”, while those of the ATPase when catalyzing the latter

belong to the category of “active conformations” as defined in Table 3.17.

Active ATP synthesis driven by active conformational changes of ATP

synthase can be considered as being driven by the mechanical (e.g., elastic

or torsional) energy, i.e., conformons (Section 3.4), stored in ATP syn-

thase and thus can be represented as follows:

ADP + Pi + conformationally strained ATP synthase

↓1

ATP + conformationally relaxed ATP synthase (3.42)

Equivalently,

ADP + Pi + conformons → ATP + H 2 O (3.43)

which is more clearly represented as

[AD.Pi] → (ATP.H 2 O) (3.44)

where the symbols [...] and (...) indicate, respectively, the conformation-

ally strained (the high affinity form, H) and conformationally relaxed (the

medium affinity form, M) nucleotide binding pockets of ATP synthase,

i.e., the b-subunit of the F 1 F 0 –ATP synthase (see Figure 3.35).

Just as active transport of K+ into the cell can occur despite the fact

that there are more K+ inside than outside the cell driven by the Na+/K+

ATPase, so it can be predicted that the active synthesis of ATP can occur

even if the H+ and ATP concentrations are high inside the matrix space

relative to their concentrations in the intermembrane space.

3.3.9 Cytochrome c Oxidase an Electron-Driven Proton Sink

and Pump

In 1977, Wikstrὃm [216] measured the trans-membrane pH gradient,

trans-membrane electrical potential, ∆y, and the conformational change

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