Cyclic electron transport around photosystem-I, and the associated cyclic photophosphorylation process in chloroplasts is enabled by two pathways, which depend on the PGR5 protein and the chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like complex, respectively. When both pathways are defective, photosynthesis and plant growth are significantly impaired. The pgr5 mutant of Arabidopsis is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in light intensity, which can lead to photodamage of photosystem-I. The lecture will discuss the molecular mechanism of the photoprotection of photosystem-I, afforded by this cyclic electron transport process.
Past PMB Endowed Lectures
For a schedule of all Plant & Microbial Biology events, seminars, and lectures visit our calendar.
[Tsujimoto Lecture] Phenomics of Stomata and Water Use Efficiency in C4 crops
The Leakey group takes an integrative approach to understanding and improving the water use efficiency of C4 grasses. The talk will highlight recent work in physiology, genomics, genetics, agronomy that exploits new AI-enabled phenotyping techniques.
[Buchanan Lecture] The “endless forms”: Genetics, development, and evolution of flower diversity
In this talk I will discuss the use of monkeyflowers to probe the genetic and molecular bases of floral trait variation among species, to characterize the developmental mechanisms of pattern formation, and to test the adaptive significance of floral trait variation in the evolution of pollination syndromes.
Kabir Peay: [Taylor-White Lecture] Mycorrhizal fungi and the future of forests in a changing climate
Kabir Peay’s research is filling critical gaps in our understanding of how mycorrhizal fungi respond to climate change through his use of large-scale DNA sequencing, biogeographic modeling, and manipulative experiments. Mutualisms forged by mycorrhizal fungi critically affect the resistance and resilience of forest trees faced with climate change, which impacts the carbon cycle through effects on...
J. Clark Lagarias: [Arnon Lecture] Bilins Everywhere: More than light harvesting
My lecture will focus on the origins, biochemistry and evolution of this diversity and will touch upon the surprising evidence that oxygenic photosynthesis is dependent on bilins for sustained chlorophyll synthesis in an oxic world.
Dianne K. Newman: [Kustu Lecture] Context matters: agathokakological roles for redox-active "antibiotics"
In this talk, Dr. Newman will explain what "agathokakological" means and how this word can help us understand the varied roles microbially-produced redox active metabolites play in diverse contexts, from the soil to chronic human infections. These compounds, many of which are striking pigments that change color when they are oxidized or reduced, can serve as toxins or as lifelines for the cells...
Tsujimoto Lecture: Deciphering the human gut microbiome with chemistry
The human body is colonized by trillions of microorganisms that exert a profound influence on human biology, in part by providing functional capabilities that extend beyond those of host cells. In particular, there is growing evidence linking chemical processes carried out by the human gut microbiome to diseases such as colorectal cancer. However, we still do not understand the vast majority of...
David Nelson: Buchanan Lecture: How plants sense and respond to karrikins, a class of growth regulators in smoke
Almost two decades ago, karrikins were identified in smoke as germination stimulants of plants that emerge after fire. Karrikins have since been shown to affect many aspects of plant development, putatively because they mimic an unknown endogenous hormone. I will present our current understanding of how karrikins are perceived by plants and how karrikin signaling is attenuated through feedback control mechanisms.
Taylor-White Lecture w/Toby Kiers
Underground, mycorrhizal fungi form complex networks of filamentous hyphae that connect plant roots. The fungus mobilizes phosphorus and nitrogen, and trades these for host carbon in a market-like exchange. While the ubiquity and importance of underground networks is established, we have no mechanistic understanding of how a fungus evaluates its trade environment. Fungi must integrate a complex...