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ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview

ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview

ATP-driven pumps, also known as transport ATPases, are integral membrane proteins. They have binding sites for ATP located on the membrane's cytosolic side and the ion-conducting domain in the transmembrane region. These pumps use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to move the solutes across cell membranes against an electrochemical gradient.
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and are...

ATP Driven Pumps II: P-type Pumps

ATP Driven Pumps II: P-type Pumps

The P-type pumps are a large family of integral membrane transporter ATPases. They are divided into five major types based on substrate specificity, from I to V.
A typical P-type pump has three cytosolic domains: nucleotide-binding (N), phosphorylation (P), and activator (A) domains. These domains are connected to the membrane-spanning helices by short amino acid segments. ATP hydrolysis and covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate formation are crucial parts of the catalytic cycle. At the highly...

ATP Driven Pumps III: V-type Pumps

ATP Driven Pumps III: V-type Pumps

V-type pumps are ATP-driven pumps found in the vacuolar membranes of plants, yeast, endosomal and lysosomal membranes of animal cells, plasma membranes of a few specialized eukaryotic cells, and some prokaryotes. They are also known as the V1Vo-ATPase, that couple ATP hydrolysis to transport protons against a concentration gradient.
The peripheral or cytosolic V1 domain with eight subunits is involved in ATP hydrolysis. The integral or transmembrane V0 domain containing at least five subunits...

DC Battery

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A conductor needs to be a component of a path that creates a closed loop or full circuit to have a continuous current flowing through it. A current starts to flow if an electric field is created inside an isolated conductor that is not part of a full circuit. The conductor quickly develops a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. These charges generate an electric field opposite the direction of the applied electric field, which reduces the current. Eventually,...

Aquaporins

Aquaporins

Aquaporins or AQPs are a family of integral membrane proteins whose primary function is to transport water, while some called aquaglyceroporins also transport glycerol. In addition, aquaporins have also been suspected to be involved in transporting volatile substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia, across membranes. Such AQPs that act as gas channels are often highly expressed in cells involved in the gaseous exchange, such as red blood cells, epithelial cells, and pulmonary capillaries.

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Oxidative phosphorylation is a highly efficient process that generates large amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the basic unit of energy that drives many cellular processes. Oxidative phosphorylation involves two processes— the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.
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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices

High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices

Published on: September 2, 2009

A charge-driven molecular water pump.

Xiaojing Gong, Jingyuan Li, Hangjun Lu

Nature Nanotechnology

|July 26, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a molecular water pump using charges near a nanopore, inspired by aquaporins. This design enables controlled water transport in nanochannels without pressure gradients, advancing molecular machines and desalination.

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Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

High Speed Droplet-based Delivery System for Passive Pumping in Microfluidic Devices

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Published on: September 2, 2009

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Published on: December 22, 2018

Area of Science:

Nanotechnology
Molecular Engineering
Biophysics

Background:

Controlling water transport in nanochannels is crucial for molecular devices, sensors, and desalination.
Existing nanopumps struggle with charge-neutral water molecules, lacking electric or magnetic properties.
Cellular aquaporins provide a biological model for efficient water permeation.

Discussion:

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal a novel molecular water pump design using charges adjacent to a nanopore.
This design mimics aquaporin channel structures to facilitate water movement.
The pump leverages charge dipole-induced water ordering within nanochannels for efficient transport.

Key Insights:

A molecular water pump design effectively transports charge-neutral water.
External fields can drive concerted water motion through charge-induced ordering.
The mechanism bypasses the need for osmotic or hydrostatic pressure gradients.

Outlook:

Potential for developing advanced water transport devices and molecular machines.
Applications in efficient seawater desalination and microfluidic systems.
Further research into charge-based control of molecular transport in nanoscale systems.