Proton gradients and pH oscillations emerge from heat flow at the microscale

Proton motive forces are central for life but it is not well understood how these pH gradients emerged at the beginning of life. Here the authors show that heat flow across a water-filled chamber forms and sustains stable pH gradients and support their experimental findings with simulations.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lorenz M. R. Keil, Friederike M. Möller, Michael Kieß, Patrick W. Kudella, Christof B. Mast
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017-12-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02065-3