What would be the effect on the pH of the inner membrane space and the mitochondrial matrix of a drug that inhibits ATP synthase?
ATP synthase play an important role in ATP synthesis by pumping the proton from the intermembrane space to the matrix through the channel formed by the C subunit of the ATP synthase . As the drug inhibit the ATP synthase as a result no proton are pumped back to the matrix .
So , the matrix remain basic ( pH increase) in nature due to less concentration of hydrogen ions and intermembrane space is acidic( pH decrease) due to high hydrogen ion concentration which are pumped from the complex present in the inner membrane.
pH gradient get disturb due to inhibition of ATP synthase.
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