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Contact Details

Phone
64 3 479 7865
Email
julian.eaton-rye@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Biochemistry
Qualifications
BSc(Manc) PhD(Ill)
Research summary
Photosynthesis

Research

Life on our planet is driven by Photosystem II that captures sunlight and extracts electrons from H2O to reduce CO2 into sugars while releasing the O2 we breathe. My laboratory concentrates on structure-function studies of Photosystem II in plants and cyanobacteria. Currently we are working on protein-protein interactions that facilitate sustained water-splitting activity by Photosystem II in response to changing environmental conditions such as fluctuating light levels, temperature and pH. We are also interested in protein factors that are required for the assembly of Photosystem II. Since the sun provides more energy in 1 hour than our entire global energy consumption in 1 year, we are also working on metabolic engineering to couple the harvesting of light by photosynthetic protein complexes to the efficient production of biofuels in cyanobacteria.

Media appearances

Publications

Arshad, F., & Eaton-Rye, J. J. (2024). Indirect interactions involving the PsbM or PsbT subunits and the PsbO, PsbU and PsbV proteins stabilize assembly and activity of Photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Photosynthesis Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s11120-024-01091-9 Journal - Research Article

Sheridan, K. J., Eaton-Rye, J. J., & Summerfield, T. C. (2024). Mutagenesis of Ile184 in the cd-loop of the photosystem II D1 protein modifies acceptor-side function via spontaneous mutation of D1-His252 in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications, 702, 149595. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149595 Journal - Research Article

Forsman, J. A., Sheridan, K. J., Singh, H., Brown, T. J., Vass, I., Summerfield, T. C., & Eaton-Rye, J. J. (2024). The Psb27 assembly factor and histidine-252 of the D1 protein modify energy transfer to photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Physiologia Plantarum, 176, e14154. doi: 10.1111/ppl.14154 Journal - Research Article

Sheridan, K. J., Brown, T. J., Eaton-Rye, J. J., & Summerfield, T. C. (2023). Expression of the far-red D1 protein or introduction of conserved far-red D1 residues into Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 impairs Photosystem II. Physiologia Plantarum, 175, e13997. doi: 10.1111/ppl.13997 Journal - Research Article

Khaing, E. P., & Eaton-Rye, J. J. (2023). Lys264 of the D2 protein performs a dual role in Photosystem II modifying assembly and electron transfer through the quinone–iron acceptor complex. Biochemistry, 62, 2738-2750. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00240 Journal - Research Article

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