| All cells
need to make ATP. Early on in the evolution of cells,
a highly efficient mechanism for ATP synthesis arose:
chemiosmosis.
Chemiosmosis is central to the metabolism of many types
of cells: a methane-producing prokaryote living in an
anaerobic swamp; a heart muscle cell burning glucose
in the presence of O2; and a clover leaf
mesophyll cell using sunlight to synthesize sugars.
In each of these situations, chemiosmosis is the process
that allows the cell to harvest energy from oxidation
reactions and synthesize ATP.
In this lesson, you'll learn how chemiosmosis works
and the pivotal role it plays in the metabolism of many
cell types. |
