Here's why:
* ATP synthase is an enzyme complex embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. It acts like a tiny motor, using the energy stored in the proton gradient across the membrane to synthesize ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate.
* This process is called oxidative phosphorylation, and it's the primary way our cells produce ATP, the energy currency of life.
* Other proteins play important roles in the electron transport chain that drives the proton gradient, but ATP synthase is the key enzyme responsible for ATP synthesis.
