Biochemistry

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 h 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. 

Recent Publications:

Jackson, S.A., Hinds, M.G. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Solution structure of CyanoP from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: New insights on the structural basis for functional specialization amongst PsbP family proteins. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2012.02.032

Shevela, D., Eaton-Rye, J.J., Shen, J.-R. and Govindjee. Photosystem II and the unique role of bicarbonate: A historical perspective. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, doi: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2012.04.003

Bricker, T.M., Roose, J.L., Fagerlund, R.D., Frankel. L.K. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. The extrinsic proteins of photosystem II. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1817: 121-142 (2012)

Vos, M.H., Bouzhir-Sima, L., Lambry, J.-C., Luo, H., Eaton-Rye, J.J., Ioanoviciu, A., Ortiz de Montellano, P.R. and Liebl, U. Ultrafast ligand dynamics in the heme-based GAF sensor domains of the histidine kinases DosS and DosT from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biochemistry 51: 159-166 (2012)

Eaton-Rye, J.J., Tripathy, B.C. and Sharkey, T.D. eds. Photosynthesis: Plastid Biology, Energy Conversion and Carbon Assimilation. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration 34. Springer, Dordrecht, 892 pages (2012)

McConnell, I.L., Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Van Rensen, J.J.S. Regulation of photosystem II electron transport by bicarbonate. In Photosynthesis: Plastid Biology, Energy Conversion and Carbon Assimilation, J.J. Eaton-Rye, B.C. Tripathy and T.D. Sharkey, eds. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration 34. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 475-500 (2012)

Burut-Archanai, S., Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Incharoensakdi, A. Na⁺-stimulated phosphate uptake system in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with Pst1 as a main transporter. BMC Microbiology 11: 225 (2011)

Ehimen, E.A., Sun, Z.F., Carrington, C.G., Birch, E.J. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Anaerobic digestion of microalgae residues resulting from the biodiesel production process. Applied Energy 88: 3454-3463 (2011)

Fagerlund, R.D. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. The lipoproteins of cyanobacterial photosystem II. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 104: 191-203 (2011)

Nagarajan, A., Winter, R., Eaton-Rye, J. and Burnap, R. A synthetic DNA and fusion PCR approach to the ectopic expression of high levels of the D1 protein of photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 104: 212-219 (2011)

Eaton-Rye, J.J. Construction of gene interruptions and gene deletions in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. In Photosynthesis Research Protocols, 2nd Edition. R. Carpentier, ed., Methods in Molecular Biology 684. Humana Press, Springer, New York, pp 295-312 (2011)

Jackson, S.A., Fagerlund, R.D., Wilbanks, S.M. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Crystal structure of PsbQ from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 at 1.8 Å: Implications for binding and function in cyanobacterial photosystem II. Biochemistry 49: 2765–2767 (2010)

Hohmann-Marriott, M.F., Takizawa, K., Eaton-Rye, J.J., Mets, L. and Minagawa, J. The redox state of the plastoquinone pool directly modulates minimum chlorophyll fluorescence yield in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Federation of European Biochemical Societies Letters 584: 1021–1026 (2010)

Mabbitt, P.D., Rautureau, G.J.P., Day, C.L., Wilbanks, S.M., Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Hinds, M.G. Solution structure of Psb27 from cyanobacterial photosystem II. Biochemistry 48: 8771-8773 (2009)

Burut-Archanai, S., Incharoensakdi, A. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. The extended N-terminal region of SphS is required for detection of external phosphate levels in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 378: 383-388 (2009)

Luo, H. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Directed mutagenesis of the transmembrane domain of the PsbL subunit of photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Photosynthesis Research 98: 337-347 (2008)

Bentley, F.K., Luo, H., Dilbeck, P., Burnap, R.L. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Effects of inactivating psbM and psbT on photodamage and assembly of photosystem II in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Biochemistry 47: 11637-11646 (2008)

Eaton-Rye, J.J. ed. Govindjee special issue: Part B, Celebrating Govindjee's 50 years in photosynthesis research and his 75th birthday. Photosynthesis Research 94: 153-466 (2007)

Eaton-Rye, J.J. ed. Govindjee special issue: Part A, Celebrating Govindjee's 50 years in photosynthesis research and his 75th birthday. Photosynthesis Research 93: 1-244 (2007)

Juntarajumnong, W., Hirani, T.A., Simpson, J.M., Incharoensakdi, A. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Phosphate sensing in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: SphU and the SphS-SphR two-component regulatory system. Archives of Microbiology 188: 389-402 (2007)

Summerfield, T.C., Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Sherman, L.A. Global gene expression of a ΔPsbO:ΔPsbU mutant and a spontaneous revertant in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. Photosynthesis Research 94: 265-274 (2007)

Juntarajumnong, W., Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Incharoensakdi, A. Two-component signal transduction in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under phosphate limitation: Role of acetyl phosphate. Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 40: 708-714 (2007)

Juntarajumnong, W., Incharoensakdi, A. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Identification of the start codon for sphS encoding the phosphate-sensing histidine kinase in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Current Microbiology 55: 142-146 (2007)

Summerfield, T.C. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Pseudocyphellaria crocata, P. neglecta and P. perpetua from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are a phylogenetic species and share cyanobionts. New Phytologist 170: 597-607 (2006)

Eaton-Rye, J.J. and Putnam-Evans, C. The CP47 and CP43 core antenna components. In Photosystem II: The Light-Driven Water:Plastoquinone Oxidoreductase. T.J. Wydrzynski and K. Satoh, eds. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration 22. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 45-70 (2005)

Veerman, J., Bentley, F.K., Eaton-Rye, J.J., Mullineaux, C.W., Vasil’ev, S. and Bruce, D. The PsbU subunit of photosystem II stabilizes energy transfer and primary photochemistry in the phycobilisome-photosystem II assembly of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Biochemistry 44: 16939-16948 (2005)

Eaton-Rye, J.J. Requirements for different combinations of the extrinsic proteins in specific cyanobacterial photosystem II mutants. Photosynthesis Research 84: 275-281 (2005)

Summerfield, T.C., Winter, R.T. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. Investigation of a requirement for the PsbP-like protein in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Photosynthesis Research 84: 263-268 (2005)

Summerfield, T.C., Shand, J.A., Bentley, F.K. and Eaton-Rye, J.J. PsbQ (Sll1638) in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is required for photosystem II activity in specific mutants and in nutrient-limiting conditions. Biochemistry 44: 805-815 (2005)