In living organisms energy is provided in a process that involves separation of charges across membranes by large membrane-protein complexes. The voltage that is maintained across these membranes is equivalent to an electric field strength of about 100 000 V/cm. How these large field strengths influence the function of the membrane-imbedded protein complexes has until now remained unknown.
In the present study, Markus Björck at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics prepared closed membrane vesicles derived from mammalian mitochondria. He then established a transmembrane electric field, similar to that found in the living cell, and used sophisticated biophysical techniques to study and understand how living organisms obtain energy to drive reactions that maintain life.
The study was published in Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-05615-5
Last updated:
August 13, 2018
Page editor:
Erik Gunnar Sjölund
Source: DBB
