Murburn concept

In the field of enzymology and cellular physiology, murburn is a term coined by Kelath Murali Manoj that explains the catalytic mechanism of certain redox-active proteins, providing an enhanced and more physically comprehensive framework for understanding diverse physiological processes. The term describes the spontaneous interactive equilibria among molecules, unbound ions and radicals or radiations, signifying a process of "mild unrestricted redox catalysis". Over the past decade, the concept has evolved from a mechanistic explanation for certain enzymatic reactions into a broader theoretical framework encompassing cellular bioenergetics, homeostasis, electrophysiology, sensory functions, biological coherence and intelligence. Murburn was originally abstracted from "mured burning" (connoting a "closed burning", an oxidative process), and implies equilibriums involving diffusible reactive (oxygen/nitrogen/halogen) species (DRS/ROS/RNS/RHS). Though akin to the oxygen assisted combustion of fuel, unlike the flames produced in the open burning process, the biological reaction occurs in enclosed premises, is mild and does chemical, mechanical, and electrical work besides generating heat (but no flames). Such a reaction could also incur the chemical work of selective and specific electron or moiety transfers. Further, though burning is a reaction that usually involves oxygen (aerobic process), "burning flames" produced by anoxic oxidants are also well-known. Therefore, the enzymes working via murburn scheme (in aerobic or anaerobic systems) could be called murzymes and the region around the biomolecule where the DRS interacts with the final 'substrate' is called 'murzone'. Murzymes are now more formally defined as biomolecules or proteins that generate, modulate, sustain, or utilize DRS, with the region of interaction termed the murzone. As per this perspective, the most fundamental reaction of aerobic life is identified as: O2 + e- → O2*- ; ΔG = -250 kJ/mol, with the superoxide radical and its downstream products (hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical) characterized as the "elixirs of life", rather than toxic waste (as deemed conventionally). A hand-held electronic gadget is driven by the potential difference supplied by its battery and the current it draws, while a plugged-in appliance is driven by the voltage supplied by the outlet and the current it takes in. Murburn is the chemico-physical process that harnesses electromagnetic forces to fundamentally power cells, quite akin to the powering of electronic gadgets and electrical appliances. The wiring is solid and well-defined in the electrical gadgets/appliances, whereas in the soft and fluidic matter of the cells, it is rather undefined.

The basic components and processes Powering in cells entails the movement of electrons (or ions/moieties), setting forth the electromagnetic force. The cells and their immediate natural environments are composed of molecules, unbound ions, and radicals or radiations. They naturally spontaneously interact with each other, and move electrons. Erstwhile perceptions of useful/powering cellular reactions and biological intelligence entailed 2-electron movements and trans-phase ion-pumping. In the context of murburn, 1-electron movements form the fundamental pivots and such interactions (wherein electrons/ions/moieties are moved) are regulated by several components and factors. Molecules – Usually any electron-rich or reduced molecule, but particularly with an extended pi-electronic system or metallic centers with d electrons or a combination of both, could serve as a murzyme catalyst. A redox protein/enzyme optimally qualifies for this role because it has one or more cofactors with the required attribute. (e.g. hemeproteins, flavoproteins, Cu/Zn proteins, etc.). Occasionally, some proteins that lack the above cofactors but have high amounts of charged residues and suitably located substrate binding sites could also aid DROS dynamics and catalysis (e.g. lactate dehydrogenase, transducin in outer disks of rod cells in eye, Complex V, basal module of bacterial flagellar assembly, etc.) Unbound ions – naturally occurring ions of several types, carrying or relaying charges Radicals – transiently generated reactive species in milieu (particularly, oxygen-centric), also formed from any additive or in situ components Radiations – transiently impinging or exchanged in the system, of a broad spectral range Murburn concept postulates that cells are fundamentally powered by electron-displacements (or electron-movements) spontaneously brought out because of the interactions of its component redox-active molecules, unbound ions, and radicals or radiations, setting forth electromagnetic force, thereof. Cells are deemed as reducing environments in which oxygen can spontaneously gain electron (to make DRS like superoxide (via the fundamental equation mentioned in 3rd paragraph). Such inevitable DRS formation is an inherently stochastic process, which involves Effective Charge Separation (ECS), thereby setting up a Chemico-Electromagnetic Matrix (CEM). This ECS-DRS-CEM enables the Powering, Coherence, Homeostasis, Electro-Mechanical and Sensing-response (PCHEMS, the immediate physico-chemical features) activities within a cell and facilitates cellular functioning as Simple Chemical Engine (SCE). This fundamental logic forms the core of biological intelligence also. Thus, the stochastic murburn concept becomes a fundamental operational principle of life, complementing the central dogma (which charts out the deterministic flow of biological information, that is genetic sequences form mRNA which serve as the scaffolds for the formation of proteins, which in turn carry out very deterministic and "manufacturing line" like reactions in cells).

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