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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Evaluation of Bioenergetic Function in Cerebral Vascular Endothelial Cells
Published on: November 19, 2016
Energy use by biological protein transport pathways
Nathan N Alder1, Steven M Theg
1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Abstract:
The targeting of proteins into and across biological membranes to their correct cellular locations is mediated by a variety of transport pathways. These systems must couple the thermodynamically unfavorable processes of substrate translocation and integration with the expenditure of metabolic energy, using the free energy of ATP and GTP hydrolysis and/or a transmembrane protonmotive force. Several recent advances in our knowledge of the structure and function of these transport systems have provided insights into the mechanisms of energy transduction, force generation and energy use by different protein transport pathways.
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