Refutation of the cation-centric torsional ATP synthesis model and advocating murburn scheme for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation

Abstract

The acclaimed explanation for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (mOxPhos) is a proton or cation centric scheme. Such ideas were recently disclaimed and in lieu, an evidence-based oxygen-centric explanation, murburn concept, was proposed. The new understanding vouches for catalytic roles of diffusible reactive oxygen species (DROS). The involvement of DROS explains the "non-discoverability of an enzyme-linked high-energy phosphorylating intermediate", a historical predicament, which had fueled several trans-membrane potential (TMP) based mechano-electrical explanations like the Nath model. This communication aims to briefly apprise the readers some lacunae and inadmissible aspects of the Nath model and project the appeal of murburn scheme of mOxPhos.

Keywords: Bioenergetics; Chemiosmosis; Kinetics; Murburn concept; Oxidative phosphorylation; Proton motive force; Thermodynamics; Torsional ATP synthesis.