Mitochondrial F-ATP Synthase and Its Transition into an Energy-Dissipating Molecular Machine

Figure 1

Structure of the mitochondrial F-ATP synthase. Subunits are shown in colors as follows. F₁ is shown with the alternating α (green) and β subunits (red). On the left, the peripheral stalk (PS) includes the OSCP (yellow), b (dark blue), F6 (orange), and d (pink) subunits. The central stalk (CS) connecting the α₃β₃ subcomplex to the c-ring composed of 8 identical subunit c (purple) includes the γ (cyan), δ (blue), and ε (ice blue) subunits. The F_O membrane sector includes the subunits a (dark red, mostly covered in the picture by other subunits), f (white), A6L (emerald, mostly covered by other subunits), g (light orange), and e (silver). In the membrane region, which is delineated by dotted lines, the subunits e and g, with the N-terminal part of subunit b, create a subdomain that bends the inner mitochondrial membrane.