The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted 21:28, 30 August 2007.


Oxidative phosphorylation‎[edit]

Self nomination. Article is currently a GA and is 65 kb in size. Tim Vickers 23:05, 24 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm the GA reviewer of this article but being non tech and having done it a month plus ago, I have regained my newbie POV. Para 3 of the lead needs modification.
  • - :The energy released as electrons flow through this ...electron transport chain is used to transport protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. This generates a pH gradient and a electrical potential across this membrane. The energy is released as protons flow back across ...the membrane and down this gradient, through a large enzyme called ATP synthase.
Shouldnt release of energy be involved in only one of the flows? You have energy released first as electrons flow across then as protons flow across. Please clarify. AshLin 05:43, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Reworded to try to make clearer that energy is transferred from one form to another as part of this process. Tim Vickers 14:41, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Hi Tim, In this sentance,
For example, the oxidation of the 10 NADH and 2 succinate molecules created during the complete oxidation of one molecule of glucose to carbon dioxide and water, produces about 26 ATP molecules.[4] In contrast glycolysis only produces 2 molecules of ATP. This ATP yield is the theoretical maximum value, in practice some protons leak across the membrane, lowering the yield of ATP.[5]
the ATP yield appears to point to that of glycolysis rather than P. Oxid. because of its juxtaposition. Could it be rewritten so that the glycolysis yield is mentioned first and high ATP yield of P. Oxid. is later, so that the statement This ATP yield is the theoretical... yield of ATP. now cannot be confused to mean something else. AshLin 16:29, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Good point, rearranged. Tim Vickers 16:41, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hyphens fixed, "An redox" zapped, comma added, and a new type of dash added to the table. Tim Vickers 14:41, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I never look at who the nominator is: no wonder it's excellent! Tony 13:30, 28 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Argh, terrible omission. Added definition of chemiosmosis and link in first section and lead. Hopefully, that gives more context. It goes best at the end though, since it discusses the discovery of things that are defined and explained above.
Expression levels are variable, as noted at end of section on what advantages they may confer. No single simple answer I'm afraid.
Caption fixed, I get rather lost in all the alternative names myself. I'm worried that hyperlinks and a glossary would be redundant. As I've gone along I've created articles on anything needing defining, so if there are any terms remaining unlinked that need articles, I'll do these as well.
Fixed. Damn colonials.
Typo, fixed.
Added.
Reworded and ref added.
Reworded as you suggest and added ref.
These terms are all linked, defining "Midpoint potential" in particular would need an entire section of its own, which I added to the article I linked to, rather than this one. I've added an explanation of what "midpoint potential" indicates in practice to the last sentence above the table.
On the other hand, if the figures change, the text can be changed as well, I think the colours are particularly important to help readers follow the animation.
Either minus enlarged in complex I and IV, or figure enlarged in complex III.
Switched to colons.

Espresso Addict 16:44, 29 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Lead reworded to define chemiosmosis and electron transport chains.
Retitled "Overview of energy transfer by chemiosmosis".
Done, in second paragraph of this section's lead.
This is a quirk of the nomenclature for historical reasons that I'm not very clear about, I've reworded the first sentence of this and complex II to try to clarify their respective roles.
Now defined in last sentence of text above table.
Reworded to say "cells" rather than "mitochondria" as this is a universal problem in aerobic life.
The "raison d'être" of mitochondria, as you put it, is increased surface area. That benefits oxidative phosphorylation, but it also benefits other metabolic functions that gain from having more membrane to work with. More membrane space allows more copies of the same enzymes, which allows those processes to occur in more places at once. At least, that's what high school biology taught me that I haven't since forgotten. —Verrai 05:50, 30 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Typography question: in the enzymes and substrates table, do enzyme names contain the formatting of the underlying chemical terms? That is, should the "D" in "D-amino acid dehydrogenase" be small-caps, given that it represents the D optical isomer configuration? Likewise, should the "N" in "Trimethylamine N-oxide reductase" be italicized per IUPAC rules for locants? DMacks 16:06, 30 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, enzyme names should follow chemical nomenclature, fixed the ones you mentioned. Tim Vickers 16:37, 30 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.