Putative Membrane Energy Reserves predicted by the Proton Capacitor Theory

Abstract

A significant number of reports indicate that oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) occurs at multiple extra-mitochondrial sites, and this is not predicted by canonical mitochondrial criteria. This requires an update of the endosymbiotic theory by considering that ancestral bacteria, in becoming mitochondria, retained the ability to vesiculate and widespread distribution in organism districts of mitochondria derived vesicles (MDVs), which possess active OXPHOS, confirms that mitochondrial vesiculation is an active process in eukaryotic cells. MDVs can fuse with other membrane systems, and the succession of these processes appears to be a route for the export of OXPHOS to many subcellular and extra-cellular districts. Considering that the chemiosmotic theory is not applicable to extra-mitochondrial districts, a new theory is needed. Here is presented the Proton Capacitor Theory that is independent of the parameters Membrane Potential and Protomotive Force which has led to exhaustive discussions in the past and therefore the modalities with which the aerobic synthesis of ATP occurs both in the mitochondria and outside the mitochondria are greatly simplified by the Proton Capacitor Theory also with regards to computational thermodynamics. The proton movement scheme proposed here allows us to hypothesize that i) membranes can have a buffering action towards protons and therefore could be sites of rapidly usable energy deposits here called Proton Capacitors, and ii) it is possible that OXPHOS can occur in two phases, i.e. "charging" and "discharging" of the proton capacitor, consistently with the   hypothesis that underlies the recently formulated Sleep Theory.