| Inhibitors of ATP synthase
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| Oligomycin inhibits respiration, but, in contrast to electron transport inhibitors, it is not a direct inhibitor of the electron transport system. Instead, it inhibits the proton channel of ATP synthase. It causes an accumulation of protons outside the mitochondrion, because the proton pumping system is still intact, but the proton channel is blocked. The addition of the uncoupler DNP after oxygen uptake has been inhibited by oligomycin illustrates this point: DNP dissipates the proton gradient and stimulates oxygen uptake as the electron transport system attempts to re-establish the proton gradient (Fig. 8.18).
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