Thermodynamic significance of the lactate gradient

The theory that some bacteria can save energy by an energy-recycling process, in which protons are excreted with metabolic end-products with variable stoichiometry, has been examined by 1H-NMR. A method has been developed that utilises observed differences in the Hahn T2 relaxation of metabolites in the intracellular and extracellular compartments to distinguish and quantify metabolite signals originating from both compartments. It was found that the lactate electrochemical-potential gradient calculated from the fraction of lactate that is sufficiently mobile to contribute to the NMR signal was in exact balance with the proton electrochemical-potential gradient over a wide range of pH values. The conclusion was reached that previous reports of variable stoichiometry were due to 'bound' lactate at high intracellular pH that could neither contribute neither to the NMR signal nor to the lactate electrochemical-potential gradient.