Eguna: 2026/10/21
Ordua: 12:00
Lekua: Adela Moyua

Bioforo: “Beyond ATP production: How ATP synthase shapes membrane dynamics” 
Dr. Iván López Montero. Mitochondrial Membranes Lab. Universidad Complutense de Madrid 

Abstract

ATP synthase is best known as the molecular machine responsible for ATP production, but its rotary activity also generates mechanical forces that can influence the organization and dynamics of biological membranes. In this talk, I will explore how ATP synthase activity couples molecular-scale motion to membrane-scale organization and remodeling, from model membranes to living cells. Using reconstituted membrane systems and fluorescence microscopy, our studies reveal that ATP synthase rotation locally reduces lipid packing, providing a common physical mechanism underlying several downstream effects: curvature-dependent organization of ATP synthase, mechanical remodeling of lipid bilayers, and regulation of lipid-domain size. I will also discuss our most recent work investigating ATP synthase dynamics directly in the inner mitochondrial membrane using single-molecule tracking. Remarkably, our results suggest that the transport and mechanical properties of the inner mitochondrial membrane are coupled to the catalytic activity of ATP synthase, with molecular rotation tuning the characteristic timescales of membrane-associated relaxation processes.

Together, these findings highlight ATP synthase as more than an energy-converting molecular machine: its enzymatic activity acts as a local mechanical perturbation that modifies lipid packing and, in turn, shapes membrane organization and dynamics across multiple length and timescales.

Iván López Montero is Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and leads the Mitochondrial Membrane Lab. His research focuses on understanding how fundamental mitochondrial proteins shape the organization and dynamics of biological membranes, with particular emphasis on ATP synthase as a rotating molecular motor.

https://mitochondrialmembraneslab.com/