0

Bacteria perform cellular respiration across a single membrane, their plasma membrane. What are the benefits of having double membranes in eukaryotes (in the mitochondria), and, how do bacteria achieve the proton gradient?

Leif
  • 87
  • 5
  • 3
    This is incorrect. Mitochondria are derived from bacteria and their two membranes correspond to the inner and outer membranes of bacteria as pictured and described in this Wikipedia article on oxidative phosphorylation. – David Mar 24 '20 at 17:06
  • OK. Should have thought of that (that bacteria tend to have double membranes. ) The endosymbiont theory is beautiful, one bacteria sacrificing the other symbiont to oxidative stress. Taking one for the team :) – Leif Mar 24 '20 at 18:01
  • 1
    @David What about bacteria with a single membrane? – canadianer Mar 24 '20 at 21:48
  • @canadianer — I know nothing about them. I suggest that if you are interested you do some research and then ask a specific question on that subject or edit this one, which certainly was not formulated with that in mind. – David Mar 24 '20 at 22:53
  • @David My question was rhetorical. The original question though clearly was formulated with that in mind given that it explicitly mentions bacteria having a single membrane. – canadianer Mar 25 '20 at 01:10
  • @canadianer — Formulated with that in mind? Did you read the poster’s response? – David Mar 25 '20 at 07:20
  • As @canadianer implies, there are bacteria — gram-positive bacteria — that do not have an outer membrane. I have now found a previous specific question about oxidative phosphorylation in gram-positive bacteria, so I suggest this one should be closed. The answer given there is that it is not necessary to generate a pH gradient as it is the proton motive force that drives the ATP synthase, and that can consist solely of a membrane potential produced by the movement of protons. – David Mar 25 '20 at 11:45
  • I was unaware that bacteria have double membranes (or, I've heard it, but, did not make the connection), so Davids answer cleared it out for me. It is still relevant though how bacteria with a different structure do cellular respiration. Then another factor, new discoveries from the past decades, here published in 2009, show that a proton-gradient is part of the equilibrium phases of water in cells or in nature overall, water polarizes at contact-zones. This drives osmosis. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.618.291&rep=rep1&type=pdf. – Leif Mar 25 '20 at 13:56

0 Answers0