electron transport chain

[yamania]

i have an homwork which i didnot understand it

please help me to answer it

What would happen to the electron transport chain if the passage of electrons was uncoupled from the transport of H+ into the intermembrane space? Would O2 still be required?

thank you

[JackBean]

in what way?

[plasmodesmata11]

well, if it is uncoupled, then the energy used to drive H+ across the membrane would then be released as heat. Incidentally, skunk cabbage does this in order to heat up and melt the snow around it. and as to the oxygen, i think it would still be needed

[jwalin]

sorry i have misread the question as what would happen to the etc without oxygen so in the first 2 para's i have answered that maybe that may be useful to someone else though but the answer to your question follows in the third

para 1
hmmm theres another thing...
actually oxygen is needed for the etc (electron transport chain) to basically dump extra H+ and free NAD. so oxygen is needed else anaerobic respirations takes place without the use of etc

para 2
though i think some other organism may be having some mechanism to go about and by using etc without use of oxygen but that would be a rare thing for it would be a result of evolution and some other substance instead of oxygen would be being used to dump the H+ ions.
though i dont see any other element or compound more suited for the purpose that doesnt harm the body aand is also present in the required abundance.

para 3
hmm coming to answer your question
if no H+ was there for the etc to be used then no oxygen would be needed
but that is sort of impractical how would the electrons be transferred to there? by there i mean the etc. so yes the coupling is always there for atleast all the organisms i know off.

[JackBean]

1) use of H+ and oxygen is not coupled. What is coupled is transport of H+ and production of ATP. That's the difference between using uncouplers and inhibitors of ETC

2) it is practical, if you need to heat up yourself Look for brown adipose tissue

[yamania]

can you give me references for you ansewrs ? please

thank you for who try to help me

[gerry90]

I would have never decide it, I even didn't understand it!!!!!