Bacteria power their energy metabolism using membrane-bound respiratory enzymes that capture chemical energy and transduce it by pumping protons or Na⁺ ions across their cell membranes. Recent breakthroughs in molecular bioenergetics have elucidated the architecture and function of many bacterial respiratory enzymes, although key mechanistic principles remain debated. In this Review, we present an overview of the structure, function and bioenergetic principles of modular bacterial respiratory chains and discuss their differences from the eukaryotic counterparts. We also discuss bacterial supercomplexes, which provide central energy transduction systems in several bacteria, including important pathogens, and which could open up possible avenues for treatment of disease.

细菌利用膜结合的呼吸酶为其能量代谢提供动力，这些酶捕获化学能并通过泵送质子或 Na ⁺离子穿过它们的细胞膜来转换它。分子生物能量学的最新突破阐明了许多细菌呼吸酶的结构和功能，尽管关键的机械原理仍存在争议。在这篇综述中，我们概述了模块化细菌呼吸链的结构、功能和生物能量原理，并讨论了它们与真核呼吸链的区别。我们还讨论了细菌超级复合体，它在包括重要病原体在内的多种细菌中提供中央能量转导系统，并且可以为疾病治疗开辟可能的途径。