The ATP synthase employs an intriguing rotary mechanism for the generation of ATP from ADP and Pi, using energy stored in a transmembrane proton gradient. The conventional rotary model, although being generally accepted, remains difficult to explain certain experimental observations. Researchers from Peking University propose an alternative rotary model for the ATP synthase such that what rotates is the catalytic a3b3 cylinder rather than the central stalk and the membrane-embedded c-ring.
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