Control of Mitochondrial Processes by the Coupling of Resonant Energy to Hydrogen-Transfer Reactions

CONTROL OF MITOCHONDRIAL PROCESSES BY THE COUPLING OF RESONANT ENERGY TO HYDROGEN-TRANSFER REACTIONS* N. RESSLERf I. Introduction Despite especially important and rapid advances being made in various aspects of biochemistry, explanations of such intricately controlled processes as the correlated movements of ribosomes along the messenger ribonucleic acid during translation, the coordinated chromosomal changes during mitosis, or, at a higher level, information storage and retrieval are still largely incomplete. These more highly coordinated functions appear to involve other physical-chemical processes in addition to kinetic ones based only upon molecular collisions and Boltzmann energy distributions. Weiss has suggested, in this regard, that the regulation of many of the more complex biological activities depends upon a controlled channeling of energy [I]. The characterization and mechanism of such energy channeling, however, have not yet been established . Aspects of the use and control of energy from respiratory reactions for the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (or other endergonic reactions ) in mitochondria are one of the intensively studied biochemical processes for which a more completely understood mechanism would be desirable. The way in which endergonic and exergonic reactions are coupled to each other is a fundamental biological problem. Nevertheless , explanations of respiratory control or uncoupling and of interactions between respiratory chains or the sites of exergonic and endergonic reactions have been difficult to make on a conventional basis and have often been controversial. As a possible approach toward such problems, a hypothesis was proposed some years ago that resonant-energy transfers in either the vibrational or electronic energy ranges are important in biochemical reactions *Presented in part at the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society. tDepartments of Pathology and Biochemistry, University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612. 388 I N. Kessler · Control of Mitochondrial Processes because of the coupling of the resonant energy to hydrogen-transfer reactions [2]. This hypothesis is based upon (1) the involvement of hydrogen transfers in the large majority of biochemical reactions, (2) the unique ability of hydrogen to act as a trap for resonant energy and to use the resonant energy for hydrogen transfers, and (3) the demonstration of this coupling mechanism in different systems or biochemical constituents . The reversibility of the hydrogen transfers could lead to the storage and subsequent liberation of the resonant energy. Since it has appeared possible to account for a number of cellular characteristics on the basis of this mechanism [2-4], it may be of interest to consider how this means of energy transfer could help to explain mitochondrial processes. In the present communication, an attempt is made to present such considerations, together with supporting observations . Other related theories.—The energy for living systems is derived either directly or indirectly from solar radiations and is eventually converted to heat. Consequently, the forms of energy available for biological activities include electromagnetic radiations, excitation energy, potential energy, and, finally, heat or kinetic energy. The potential energy is due to the arrangements of charge densities involved in chemical binding and depends upon the structure or geometry of particular molecules, conformational states, charge separations, etc. In a search for physical mechanisms in biochemical processes, Szent-Györgyi proposed in 1941 that an understanding of living systems might depend upon a knowledge of common energy levels [5]. Along these lines, energy transport by mobile electrons in a semiconduction process has often been considered as a possible mechanism for biological control. Semiconductivity requires orbital overlap between molecular units and a small energy gap between ground and excited states, so that thermal promotion to an excited "band" of levels can occur. In a discussion of this mechanism, Kasha has questioned whether there is sufficient intermolecular orbital overlap in biological systems for a conduction band to develop and has suggested that the similarity between conduction phenomena in inorganic material and in biochemical processes is more apparent than real [6]. Further investigations may be required for the resolution for these possibilities. Charge-transfer complexes represent another possible mechanism of energy transduction [7]. If, in the molecule AB, A has a low ionization energy and B has a high electron affinity, the shift of an electron may result in the configuration A +B~. This configuration is an ionic excited state and is...