Biological complexity: molecular machines seen clearly (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 08, 2020, 04:46 (1508 days ago) @ David Turell

More on rotary proton pumps:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201007145304.htm

"All cells with nuclei, from yeast to humans, are organized like cities, with a variety of small compartments -- organelles -- that serve as factories where various types of work are done. Some of those factories, like the ones that break down and recycle molecules, need to continually pump in protons -- hydrogen atoms with their electrons stripped off -- to maintain the acidic environment they need to do their job. For this they rely on molecular Ferris wheels.

"Embedded in the organelle's fatty outer membrane, these microscopic machines have rotors that spin 100 times per second, picking up protons from outside the organelle and dropping them off on the inside.

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"'Malfunctions in these molecular machines contribute to diseases such as osteoporosis, neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer and AIDS, so understanding them is important for human health."

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"No human cell can function without proton pumps, which among other things help organelles intercept viruses and other pathogens and divert them to cellular trash bins.

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"The simulations, which incorporated cryo-EM structures derived from images of the yeast Ferris wheel captured at two different points in its rotation, confirmed the experimentally observed water molecules lining up to form "wires" at the proton drop-off point. These wires convey protons from their seats on the Ferris wheel to landing spots inside the organelle, like a fire brigade passing buckets hand to hand, bridging a gap they couldn't navigate on their own."

Comment: Very precisely designed pumps. These irreducibly complex mechanisms cannot appear by chance. A designer is required.