Scientists Capture Elusive Sodium Pump in Action, Solving a Long-Standing Biological Mystery

Researchers captured fleeting intermediate structures of the Na+-NQR sodium pump using cryo-EM and molecular simulations.

The team found that electron transfer induces conformational changes that open and close a membrane gate to move sodium ions.

Korormicin was used to stabilize transient states, and the findings may guide efforts to inhibit the pump for antimicrobial strategies.