Energy Providers

Powering life inside our cells, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is in high demand. We use millions of ATP molecules every day, each produced by tiny 'ATP factories', called F-ATPases. This model of an F-ATPase (shown from two different angles) is the result of x-ray crystallography. Researchers fired x-rays at F-ATPases from P. denitrificans bacteria, revealing tiny mechanical details and providing clues to how it works. The lower part (coloured grey) turns, producing a sort of rotating 'mill' in which the upper parts (red and yellow) grind and squeeze raw materials together to form ATP. Differently-coloured components suggest further layers of detail, potentially shared with ATP factories in human cells, each a billion-times smaller than the UK's Battersea power station. Such insights may help to understand human metabolic diseases, and suggest ways to block ATP production in harmful bacteria, highlighting the widespread potential of research into the shared mechanics of life.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Edgar Morales-Rios and colleagues
• MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge UK
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in PNAS, October 2015