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colleen colleen
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Posts: 17076
13 years ago
Thermogenin and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) are both uncoupling agents.  Thermogenin is found in newborn animals and some adult mammals. DNP was marketed in the 1930s as a diet pill. However, DNP treatment not only resulted in weight loss but also death of the patient. Based on this information, how do uncouplers disrupt electron transport/chemiosmosis? Why do thermogenin and DNP result in such different outcomes when both work via a similar mechanism?
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13 years ago
Uncoupling agents disrupt the ability to maintain an intact gradient by making the mitochondrial membrane porous. As a result, uncoupling is irreversible and cannot be bypassed. Thermogenin allows for fast substrate oxidation with low ATP generation with high heat release, particularly useful for infants or mammals that hibernate. This occurs exclusively in brown fat and is inhibited by ADP and GDP. One the other hand, DNP has no regulatory mechanism within cells, so it would occur in all cells rather than just a select few.
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