Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) serves a pivotal role in cellular energetics, traditionally understood to be synthesized from Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate by ATP synthase. This manuscript introduces a novel hypothesis suggesting an alternative synthesis mechanism involving specific cellular structures - Structure for Energy Transformation (SET).
OBJECTIVE: To outline and explore the new hypothesis that ATP synthesis occurs through a complex process within the SET, which implicates multiple chemical constituents in a distinct stoichiometry, producing two kinds of ATP, PO33-, (Pi), and CO2. New ATP and ADP+Pi are formed according to the hypothesis.
METHODS: The proposed experimental approach involves culturing HeLa cells in the presence of 18Oxygen-labeled phosphate and assessing ATP and CO2 contents using mass spectrography and LC-MS/MS for adenine nucleotide quantification.
HYPOTHESIS: The SET, comprising six multiplex electron transfer chains, potentially facilitates a chemical process involving D-glucose, uric acid, NH3, and H2PO4- molecules, leading to the synthesis of ATP and other products.
The presence of ATP containing three 18O containing Pi and the characteristic of 18O containing CO2 would prove the hypothesis.
CONCLUSION: This manuscript elucidates a preliminary hypothesis, aiming to ignite discourse and collaborative efforts within the scientific community to explore and validate this proposed mechanism of ATP synthesis in further research endeavors.