Mechanisms of proton transfer in proteins: localized charge transfer versus delocalized soliton transfer

Proton translocation coupled to redox chemistry is ubiquitous for membrane enzymes involved in energy generation in cells. In such enzymes, proton transport occurs in special proton conducting channels, which consist of a series of protonatable groups of the protein connected by chains of mobile water molecules. Here we discuss two possible mechanisms of proton transport along such structures: diffusion of a localized charge and delocalized soliton transitions, in which several protons are collectively shifted along a chain of hydrogen bonds.