Dissected antiporter modules establish minimal proton-conduction elements of the respiratory complex I

The respiratory Complex I is a highly intricate redox-driven proton pump that powers oxidative phosphorylation across all domains of life. Yet, despite major efforts in recent decades, its long-range energy transduction principles remain highly debated. We create here minimal proton-conducting membrane modules by engineering and dissecting the key elements of the bacterial Complex I. By combining biophysical, biochemical, and computational experiments, we show that the isolated antiporter-like modules of Complex I comprise all functional elements required for conducting protons across proteoliposome membranes. We find that the rate of proton conduction is controlled by conformational changes of buried ion-pairs that modulate the reaction barriers by electric field effects. The proton conduction is also modulated by bulky residues along the proton channels that are key for establishing a tightly coupled proton pumping machinery in Complex I. Our findings provide direct experimental evidence that the individual antiporter modules are responsible for the proton transport activity of Complex I. On a general level, our findings highlight electrostatic and conformational coupling mechanisms in the modular energy-transduction machinery of Complex I with distinct similarities to other enzymes.