Bioenergetics Energy Conservation and Conversion

The present book addresses fundamental questions of biological energy transformation and conservation, with a focus on those processes which can now be understood on a structural basis. Current knowledge of selected examples of the biological energy conse

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Dietmar Richter Center for Molecular Neurobiology University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) University of Hamburg Martinistrasse 52 20246 Hamburg Germany [email protected]

Henri Tiedge The Robert F. Furchgott Center for Neural and Behavioral Science Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Department of Neurology SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Brooklyn, New York 11203 USA [email protected]

Series Editors D. Richter, H. Tiedge

Günter Schäfer, Harvey S. Penefsky (Eds.)

Bioenergetics Energy Conservation and Conversion

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Günter Schäfer

Harvey S. Penefsky

Institute of Biochemistry University of Lübeck Ratzeburger Allee 160 23538 Lübeck Germany [email protected]

International Center for Public Health Public Health Research Institute 225 Warren Street Newark, NJ 07103 USA [email protected]

ISSN 0080-1844 ISBN-13 978-3-540-78621-4 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-78622-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008922553

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. Springer is a part of Springer Science+Business Media springer.com c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008  Printed in Germany The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: WMXDesign GmbH, Heidelberg Typesetting and Production: LE-TEX Jelonek, Schmidt & Vöckler GbR, Leipzig Printed on acid-free paper 39/3180/YL – 5 4 3 2 1 0

Introduction

The fermentation of sugar by cell-free yeast extracts was demonstrated more than a century ago by E. Buchner (Nobel Prize 1907). Buchner’s observations put an end to previous animistic theories regarding cellular life. It became clear that metabolism and all cellular functions should be accessible to explication in chemical terms. Equally important for an understanding of living systems was the concept, explained in physical terms, that all living things could be considered as energy converters [E. Schrödinger (Nobel Prize 1933)] which generate complexity at the expense of an increase in entropy in their environment. Bioenergetics was established as an essential branch of the biochemical sciences by the investigations into the chemistry of photosynthesis in isolated plant organelles [O. Warburg (Nobel Prize 1931)] and by the discovery that mitochondria were the morphological equivalent that catalyzed cellular respiration