Kolme bioenergeetikkoa, yhdysvaltalainen Paul D. Boyer, englantilainen John E. Walker ja tanskalainen Jens C. Skou, saivat kemian Nobelin palkinnon 1997. Palkitut ovat tutkineet solun yleisen energiava-luutan, ATP:n, aineenvaihduntaa: Boyer ja Walker ovat selvittäneet mitokondriaalisen ATP-syntaasin mekanismia ja rakennetta, kun taas Skou löysi ihmisen tärkeimmän ATP:n kuluttajan, Na~+,K~+-ATPaasin. Artikkelissamme kuvataan lyhyesti palkitut työt ja niiden aatehistoriallinen tausta.%The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1997 was shared by three biochemists: Paul D. Boyer, John E. Walker and Jens C. Skou. Boyer and Walker have been working on the mechanism and structure of ATP synthase, which provides most of the energy the living cell needs to perform functions such as biosynthesis of macromolecules, muscle contraction and signalling. Skou discovered Na~+, K~+ ATPase, an enzyme and ion pump that maintains high and low internal potassium and sodium concentrations, respectively. In doing this, the ATPase uses about 25% of all ATP in the resting cell. Because of the electroge-nicity of the ion translocation event, Na~+, K~+ ATPase also contributes to the generation of membrane potential of cells and is essential for the transmission of nerve signals. The article describes the prize-winning work and the development of the ideas of the three laureates.
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机译：美国的Paul D. Boyer，英国的John E. Walker和丹麦的Jens C. Skou这三个生物能学专家被授予1997年诺贝尔化学奖。合成酶的机制和结构，而Skou发现了ATP的主要消耗者Na〜+，K〜+ -ATPase。本文简要介绍了获奖作品及其历史背景。％1997年诺贝尔化学奖由三位生物化学家分享：保罗·D·博伊尔，约翰·E·沃克和詹斯·C·斯科。博耶（Boyer）和沃克（Walker）一直在研究ATP合酶的机制和结构，该酶可以为活细胞提供执行功能所需的大部分能量，例如大分子的生物合成，肌肉收缩和信号传导。 Skou发现了Na〜+，K〜+ ATPase，一种酶和离子泵，分别维持高和低的内部钾和钠浓度。在此过程中，ATPase消耗了静息细胞中所有ATP的约25％。由于离子易位事件的电性，Na〜+，K〜+ ATPase也有助于细胞膜电位的产生，对于神经信号的传递至关重要。本文介绍了三位获奖者的获奖作品和思想发展。
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