Atomic model for the dimeric F O region of mitochondrial ATP synthase

Abstract

How protons power rotation Synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in mitochondria is accomplished by a large molecular machine, the F 1 F O ATP synthase. Proton translocation across the F O region that spans the mitochondrial inner membrane drives ATP synthesis in the F 1 region through a rotational mechanism. Guo et al. present a high-resolution structure of the dimeric F O complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae , determined by electron microscopy. The structure gives insights into how proton translocation powers rotation and suggests how F O dimers bend the membrane to give mitochondria their characteristic cristae. Science , this issue p. 936