The Chemistry of Photosynthetic Water Oxidation: From Fundamentals to Biofuels Kolling Laboratory Current Members Yasmine Zeid Ben Blodgett Cameron Buchman Courtney Nichols James Board Rebecca Mead Shaheed Elhamdani Evan Riley Matthew Thompson Former Members Chase Turner Derrick R. J. Kolling March 16, 2010 The lab has three main projects: 1. Assembly of the oxygen-evolving complex 2. [Mn2+] in compartments of phototrophs 3. Metabolomic studies of Chlorella vulgaris We are looking for students who: 1. Would like to work >3 semesters 2. Are interested in writing grants 3. Enjoy challenging projects Project 1: OEC Photoassembly We are studying photoassembly in photosynthetic extremophiles that grow at very different temperatures. Thermosynechococcus elongatus Oscillatoria sp. cc cc www-dsv.cea.fr/var • Thermophile, 55°C • PSII crystal structure • Genome sequenced www-biol.paisley.ac.uk • Psychrophile, 12°C • Antarctic benthic mat Project 2: Compartmental [Mn2+] We are working to determine the concentration of Mn2+ in the different compartments of phototrophic prokaryotes and eukaryotes. This will help us to determine the mechanism of photoassembly. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii [Mn2+]? Lumen Lumen Stroma Cytoplasm Chloroplast Cytoplasm Project 3: Metabolomics We are developing a strategy to determine the partial metabolome of the lipid generation pathways in Chlorella vulgaris. This organism and its metabolism are of interest, because its lipids can be used to make biodiesel. a dna ™emiTk ciuQ ro sse rpmo ced )de s serpmo cnU ( FFIT .erut cip sih t ee s ot dedeen era QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. A trip from a leaf to the oxygen-evolving complex. Barber & Iwata (2004) Science Ferreira et al. (2004) Science The oxygenevolving complex! How do we probe photosynthesis? • O2 production • Fluorescence • S-State Trapping • EPR Spectroscopy