[2S01m] 10. ASPIRE - Part 4

11:36 AM - 11:48 AM JST(2:36 AM - 2:48 AM UTC)

[2ASPR-07] Engineering of ATP synthase as a molecular machine

○Hiroyuki Noji¹ (1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo (Japan))

Keywords:

ATP synthase,Molecular machine,Single-molecule biophysics,Biohybrid energy conversion,Artificial photosynthesis

ATP synthase is one of the most efficient biological molecular machines, converting electrochemical potential into ATP through rotary catalysis. Understanding and engineering this nanoscale energy-converting system is essential not only for elucidating the fundamental principles of biological energy transduction but also for developing synthetic bioenergetic platforms.
Within the framework of the JST ASPIRE Japan–UK collaborative project, we are developing hybrid artificial photosynthesis systems that integrate artificial and biological components for energy conversion and material production. In this context, our group seeks to engineer ATP synthase as a key molecular module for synthetic bioenergetic platforms.
Here we present our recent efforts to engineer ATP synthase by tuning key functional properties of the enzyme, including the proton-to-ATP stoichiometry—one of the most fundamental parameters governing the efficiency of ATP synthesis—and the substrate specificity of the catalytic sites. These studies provide a framework for modulating the energetic and kinetic properties of ATP synthase and expanding its utility as an engineered component of synthetic bioenergetic systems.