Structural Basis of Photosynthesis

Photosystem II oxidizes water to derive reducing equivalents that fuel photosynthetic metabolism, releasing the oxygen we breathe as a byproduct. Our group is interested in the biogenesis of this fundamental enzyme, especially how the metal cluster in its active site is formed.

Whereas most photosynthetic organisms primarily absorb the visible region of the solar spectrum (400-700 nm) to drive photochemistry, some cyanobacteria can use far-red light (700-800 nm). Our group is interested in revealing the natural bases for such processes, and utilizing the design principles we learn for protein engineering.

A challenge in the field of cryo-EM is that radiation damage to the sample during data collection can obscure the native structure. We are interested in characterizing radiation damage that occurs to metallocofactors during cryo-EM to gain a more accurate understanding of the chemistry they catalyze.

We are engaged in numerous other projects that range from structurally characterizing antenna complexes called phycobilsomes to determining the structural bases of Photosystem I complexes with bound platinum nanoparticle hydrogen catalysts. If you are interested in discussing a collaboration, please feel free to reach out.