ABSTRACT
As early as 1961, Mitchell included the participation of cation/H+ exchange devices in the chemiosmotic interpretation of the mechanism of oxidative and photosynthetic phosphorylation. 1 The Na+/H+ exchangers in particular, also designated Na+/H+ antiporters, are membrane catalysts that translocate Na+ and H+ in opposite directions across the membrane or Na+ and OH− in the same direction; these carrier proteins, as opposed to primary transporters or pumps, are not associated with any chemical reaction and are termed secondary active transport.
