Enrico Klotzsch et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(1), 130-135 (2014-12-24)
Because different proteins compete for the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, an efficient mechanism is required for allocation of associated chemical potential to the distinct demands, such as ATP production, thermogenesis, regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), etc.