When Retinal in Bacteriorhodopsin Becomes Excited, It Directly Catalyzes the Formation

Question

When retinal in bacteriorhodopsin becomes excited, it directly catalyzes the formation of ATP.

Accepted Answer

Although bacteriorhodopsin is involved in ATP synthesis in some bacteria, it does not directly catalyze the formation of ATP. Instead, it pumps protons across the cell membrane, establishing a proton gradient that is then used by ATP synthase to generate ATP.