Modelling the F1-ATPase

Abstract

ATPase is a rotator molecular machine which synthesizes ATP out of a proton gradient. The F1 subunit is the part of the motor in charge of catalyzing the ATP synthesis out of a rotatory motion induced by the F0 subunit. F1 can also work as a motor itself by reversing its working regime hydrolyzing ATP and inducing a rotatory motion (F1-ATPase). Because of the noisy media in which the F1-ATPase works, herein we have studied its rotatory dynamics through the Langevin formalism. In order to understand the physical description, the main energy sources acting in the F1-ATPase have been studied. Including not only the intrinsic energetic of the system but also those sources corresponding to external physical manipulations done in experiments. All these elements are introduced in a simple model in order to understand how the different parts of the motor act together and which is their relevance.