Solitons and energy transfer along protein molecules

It is shown that the energy released in the hydrolysis of ATP molecules can be transferred in the form of vibration solitons along α-helical protein molecules. The vibration solitons are collective excitations travelling along a chain of successively arranged peptide groups and corresponding to amide I vibrations. The exceptional stability of solitons in one-dimensional structures can account for the small probability of their energy transforming into that of disordered heat motion.