Gamma subunit of ATP synthase F1 complex forms the central shaft that connects the Fo

rotary motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...

to the F1 catalytic core. F-

ATP synthase ATP synthase is a protein that catalyzes the formation of the energy storage molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) using adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi). It is classified under ligases as it changes ADP by the formation ...

s (also known as F1Fo ATPase, or H(+)-transporting two-sector ATPase) () are composed of two linked complexes: the F1 ATPase complex is the catalytic core and is composed of 5 subunits (alpha, beta, gamma,

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

, epsilon), while the Fo ATPase complex is the

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. B ...

-embedded

proton channel A proton pump is an integral membrane protein pump that builds up a proton gradient across a biological membrane. Proton pumps catalyze the following reaction: : n one side of a biological membrane/sub> + energy n the other side of the memb ...

that is composed of at least 3 subunits (A-C), nine in

mitochondria A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and Fungus, fungi. Mitochondria have a double lipid bilayer, membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosi ...

(A-G, F6, F8). The human ATP synthase gamma subunit is encoded by the

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

ATP5C1 The human ATP5F1C gene encodes the gamma subunit of an enzyme called mitochondrial ATP synthase. This gene encodes a subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase. Mitochondrial ATP synthase catalyzes adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, utilizing an ...

Molecular Interactions

Both the F1 and Fo complexes are rotary motors that are coupled back-to-back. In the F1 complex, the central gamma subunit forms the rotor inside the cylinder made of the alpha(3)beta(3) subunits, while in the Fo complex, the ring-shaped C subunits forms the rotor. The two rotors rotate in opposite directions, but the Fo rotor is usually stronger, using the force from the

proton gradient An electrochemical gradient is a gradient of electrochemical potential, usually for an ion that can move across a membrane. The gradient consists of two parts, the chemical gradient, or difference in solute concentration across a membrane, and th ...

to push the F1 rotor in reverse in order to drive ATP synthesis. These ATPases can also work in reverse to

hydrolyse Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolys ...

ATP to create a proton gradient. The ATPase F1 complex gamma subunit forms the central shaft that connects the Fo rotary motor to the F1 catalytic core. The gamma subunit functions as a rotary motor inside the cylinder formed by the alpha(3)beta(3) subunits in the F1 complex. The best-conserved region of the gamma subunit is its

C-terminus The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...

, which seems to be essential for assembly and

catalysis Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atp Synthase Gamma Subunit Protein domains Transmembrane proteins