The inhibitor protein (IP) is situated in the
mitochondrial matrix and protects the cell against rapid
ATP hydrolysis
Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.
Biological hydrolys ...
during momentary
ischaemia
Ischemia American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue (biology), tissue, Skeletal muscle, muscle group, or Organ (biology), organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxyg ...
. In oxygen absence, the pH of the matrix drops. This causes IP to become protonated and change its conformation to one that can bind to the F1Fo synthetase and stops it thereby preventing it from moving in a backwards direction and hydrolyze ATP instead of make it. When oxygen is finally incorporated into the system, the pH rises and IP is deprotonated. IP dissociates from the F1Fo synthetase and allows it to resume its ATP synthesis.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inhibitor Protein
Cell biology