"Electron Transport System (ETS): A Comprehensive Overview of Cellular Respiration and Energy Production"
The Electron Transport System (ETS) is a crucial process in cellular respiration that generates energy for the cell. What is ETS? The Electron Transport System is a series of protein complexes located in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It's responsible for generating ATP (adenosine triphosphate) during oxidative phosphorylation. The ETS is a critical component of cellular respiration, accounting for the majority of ATP production in aerobic organisms. Steps of ETS: 1. *Electron transfer*: Electrons from NADH and FADH2 are passed through a series of protein complexes (Complexes I-IV). This process is driven by the energy released from the transfer of electrons. 2. *Proton pumping*: As electrons flow through the complexes, protons (H+ ions) are pumped across the mitochondrial membrane, creating a proton gradient. This gradient has a high concentration of protons on one side of the membrane and a low concentration on the other. 3. *ATP synthesis*: The energy from the proton g...