ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN AND

OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION

PREPARED BY: LOVELY JOY A. CURAMMENG

AND MA. CRISTINA PARAGGUA
ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
• Is the series of protein complexes that
transfers electron from electron donor to
electron acceptor via redox reaction and
couples this electron transfer with transfer of
protons across a membrane.
• It is built up of peptides, enzymes and other
molecules.
• This creates an electrochemical proton
gradient that drives the synthesis of ATP.
• The final acceptor of electrons in the ETC
during aerobic respiration is the oxygen,
although a variety of acceptors other than
oxygen such as sulfate exist in anaerobic
respiration.
 ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
• Most eukaryotic cells have mitochondria,
which produces ATP from products of
citric acid cycle, fatty acid oxidation, and
amino acid oxidation
• At the mitochondrial inner membrane,
from NADH and FADH2 pass through the
electron transport chain to oxygen ,
which is reduced to water. The ETC
comprises an enzymatic series of electron
donor and acceptors.
ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
 ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
It consist of four complexes:
• Complex I (NADH to CoQ)
- Catalyzes transfer of e- s from NADH to CoQ.
• Complex II (Succinate-Q reductase
- Transfers e- s from succinate to CoQ.
• Complex III (Q-cytochrome C oxidoreductase)
- Transfers e- s from ubiquinol (reduced form of
CoQ) to cytochrome C.
• Complex IV (cytochrome C oxidase)
- Transfers e- s from Cytochrome C to O2
 SUPRAMOLECULAR COMPONENTS OF THE ELECTRON
TRANSPORT CHAIN
ENZYME COMPLEX PROSTHETIC
The four complexes consist of several different GROUPS
electron carriers mainly:
• Flavoproteins – prosthetic group FMN or FAD COMPLEX I (NADH FMN, FeS
DEHYDROGENASE)
• Heme containing proteins; cytochromes
subclassified into cytochrome b,c1,c,a and a3. COMPLEX II (SUCCINATE FAD, FeS
DEHYDROGENASE)
a and a3 can directly react with molecular
oxygen and are associated with copper in COMPLEX III ( CYTOCHROME BC1 Hemes, FeS
COMPLEX)
complex IV.
• Non heme iron proteins, iron sulfur proteins CYTOCHROME C Heme
contained bound inorganic Fe and S
• Copper COMPLEX IV ( CYTOCHROME Hemes, Fe, Cu
OXIDASE)
 ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
Two mobile electron carriers in electron
transport chain includes:
• Ubiquinone (CoQ)
- Is lipid soluble that can accept
electrons from FMNH2/FADH2 and
transfers them to cytochrome.
• Cytochrome C
- Is a water soluble mobile electron
carrier of the outer face of inner
membrane.
ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
 CHEMIOSMOSIS
• Is the movement of ions across a
semipermeable membrane down to their
electrochemical gradient.
• It is the process where ATP for energy is
synthesized by the movement of hydrogen
ions across a membrane during cellular
respiration or photosynthesis.
• ATP synthase (complex V), an enzyme
complex, is like a water wheel in the inner
membrane of mitochondria which creates
ATP by forcing ADP and phosphate
together through chemiosmosis
 CHEMIOSMOSIS
• The ATP synthase (Complex V)
consist of two well defined
protein entities:
• F1 sector – a soluble portion
situated in the mitochondrial
matrix
• F0 sector- bound to the inner
mitochondrial membrane.
 CHEMIOSMOSIS
• According to the chemiosmotic coupling
theory, it links the oxidative
phosphorylation to ETC and ATP
synthesis.
• In this theory, as electron pass through
the ETC, protons are pumped into the
intermembrane space, generating motive
force. Protons move back across the
membrane through ATP Synthase driving
 CHEMIOSMOSIS
• The function of ATP Synthase is to synthesize ATP from
ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the F1 sector. This
is made possible due to energy derived from a gradient
of protons which cross the inner mitochondrial
membrane space into the matrix through the F0 sector
of the enzyme complex.
• The released of energy causes the rotation of the two
rotary motors: the ring of C subunits in F0 along the
subunits y, 8, and e in F1. In the case of ATP synthesis,
each site switches cooperatively through conformation
in which ADP and Pi bind to form ATP and will be
released to be used as energy.
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
• The process where electron transport
from the energy precursors from the
citric acid cycle leads to the
phosphorylation of ADP to form ATP
and it occurs in the inner membrane of
the mitochondria.
• It is completed by the coupling of
electron transport chain and ATP
synthesis during chemiosmosis.
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
Two parts of Oxidative
phosphorylation includes:
• Oxidation of NADH and
FADH2
• Phosphorylation
 OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
1. Oxidation of NADH and FADH2
STEP 1:
• NADH and FADH2, shuttles high energy
molecules to electron transport chain.
• These shuttling high energy molecules
causes loss of electron called the
Oxidation. The opposite of oxidation is
Reduction where a molecule gains
electron.
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
STEP 2:
• The process of NADH Oxidation leads
to pumping of protons via protein
complex 1 from the matrix to the
intermembrane space.
• The electrons that are received by
protein complex 1 are given to the
electron carrier Ubiquinone (Q)
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
STEP 3:
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
STEP 4:
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
STEP 5:
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
Overall, what does the electron transport chain do for the cell?
It has two important functions:
•Regenerates electron carriers. NADH and FADH_22​start
subscript, 2, end subscript pass their electrons to the electron
transport chain, turning back into NAD^++start superscript,
plus, end superscript and FAD. This is important because the
oxidized forms of these electron carriers are used in glycolysis
and the citric acid cycle and must be available to keep these
processes running.
•Makes a proton gradient. The transport chain builds a proton
gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, with a
higher concentration of H^++start superscript, plus, end
superscript in the intermembrane space and a lower
concentration in the matrix. This gradient represents a stored
form of energy, and, as we’ll see, it can be used to make ATP.
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
2. Phosphorylation(ATP production)
Step 6:
• As a result of the oxidation of NADH
and FADH2,an electrochemical
gradient is created. The outside
of the mitochondrial membrane is
positive because of the
accumulation of the protons(H+),
and the inside is negative due to
the loss of the protons.
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
2. Phosphorylation(ATP production)
Step 7:
• When there is a high
concentration of protons on the
outside of the mitochondrial
membrane, protons are pushed
through ATP synthase. This
movement of protons causes ATP
synthase to spin, and bind ADP
and Pi, producing ATP. 
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
What would happen to the energy stored in the proton gradient if it weren't used to
synthesize ATP or do other cellular work? It would be released as heat, and
interestingly enough, some types of cells deliberately use the proton gradient for heat
generation rather than ATP synthesis. This might seem wasteful, but it's an important
strategy for animals that need to keep warm. For instance, hibernating mammals (such
as bears) have specialized cells known as brown fat cells. In the brown fat
cells, uncoupling proteins are produced and inserted into the inner mitochondrial
membrane. These proteins are simply channels that allow protons to pass from the
intermembrane space to the matrix without traveling through ATP synthase. By
providing an alternate route for protons to flow back into the matrix, the uncoupling
proteins allow the energy of the gradient to be dissipated as heat..
OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
REGULATION PF OP
INHIBITORS OF OP
ATP YIELD
ADVANTAGES OF UNCOUPLING/COUPLING