Question

True or false:

A large protein complex called F1-ATPase uses ATP to pump H+ ions across membranes. This is the same protein complex that makes ATP in the mitochondria however it is forced to work in the opposite direction to make rather than use ATP.

Answer 1

The statement in question is false; ATP synthase uses the proton gradient to synthesize ATP rather than using ATP to pump protons. It operates through the process of chemiosmosis, driven by an electrochemical gradient.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that a large protein complex called F1-ATPase uses ATP to pump H+ ions across membranes is false. The actual protein complex that facilitates the production of ATP in the mitochondria is called ATP synthase. It does not use ATP to pump hydrogen ions across the membrane; rather, it uses the proton (H+) gradient to form ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi). This process is called chemiosmosis, and it is driven by the potential energy of the electrochemical gradient created by the electron transport chain. As hydrogen ions flow through ATP synthase, they cause it to rotate, which allows for the synthesis of ATP, not the hydrolysis of it, hence it works to make ATP rather than to use it.