I need help with this bio question

Question

In brown fat, a H+ facilitated transport protein allows Hydrogen ions (H+) to move freely between the inner membrane space and the matrix of mitochondria. How would this impact ATP production? 

Answer 1

I think that this would decrease ATP production. The production of ATP relies on the movement of hydrogen ions through ATP synthase from the intermembrane space to the matrix. It accomplishes this by maintaining a high concentration of H+ ions in the intermembrane space and a low concentration in the matrix (due to the electron transport chain). A transporter that allowed H+ movement between the intermembrane space and the matrix would diminish this concentration gradient, hindering the ability for ATP synthase to synthesize ATP from ADP and Pi. Hope this helps!