Abstract
Two explanations have been put forward for the mechanism by which a pH gradient is formed through mitochondrial and chloroplast membranes. According to Mitchell's chemi-osmotic theory1 the energy of the electron current is used for separating H+ and OH− on either side of the membrane. The electrochemical potential set up as a result of this separation is the driving force for synthesis of ATP. By appropriate rapid alterations of the pH of chloroplast suspensions Jagendorf and Uribe induced phosphorylation in the dark2. An alternative explanation links the formation of the pH gradient with the energy-dependent translocation of cations through the membrane3,4. We have found that the presence of alkali metal cations is a prerequisite for the formation of a pH gradient through a chloroplast membrane in the light.
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References
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MOLOTKOVSKY, Y., DZYUBENKO, V. Light-induced pH Gradient through Chloroplast Membrane and Translocation of Cations. Nature 219, 496–498 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/219496a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/219496a0
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