Dr M P Johnson

Structure and function of the higher plant photosynthetic membrane

• Sheffield 24418
• matt.johnson@sheffield.ac.uk

Career history

Research Interests

My research is focused on the role of thylakoid membrane organisation in photosynthesis, the process that uses solar energy to transform water and carbon dioxide into the energy we consume and the oxygen we breathe. The enzymatic fixation of carbon dioxide into carbohydrate in the chloroplast stroma requires energy in the form of ATP and reducing power in the form of NADPH, which are provided by photosynthetic electron transport in the thylakoid membrane. The thylakoid membrane houses several major pigment-protein complexes involved electron transport including photosystem II, the water splitting enzyme, cytochrome b6f, photosystem I and ATP synthase. The efficiency of photosynthesis depends upon the rate of excitation energy transfer, the diffusion of electron carriers and the effectiveness of regulatory and repair processes, which in turn depend upon the spatial organisation of the pigment-protein complexes in the membrane.
I use a multidisciplinary approach combining high resolution imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy, affinity-mapping AFM and stochastic super-optical microscopy (STORM/ PALM) with membrane biochemistry to elucidate how these complexes are spatially organised within the membrane. These state-of-the-art single molecule techniques allow me to gently image the membranes in their natural liquid environment thus preserving the native organisation of the pigment-protein complexes within. Armed with the complete picture of how the protein complexes of photosynthesis fit together in the membrane we can identify new genetic targets for improving the efficiency of photosynthesis for increased food and biofuel production. Understanding natural photosynthetic membrane organisation will also allow us to better imitate nature and so improve the design of artificial solar cells and carbon capture devices to provide green energy and a low carbon future for the planet.

Publications

Google scholar webpage:
http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=en&user=-8-5cjMAAAAJ&oi=sra

[30] Ilioaia C, Johnson MP, Duffy CDP, Ruban AV (2013) Changes in the Energy Transfer Pathways within Photosystem II Antenna Induced by Xanthophyll Cycle Activity. J. Phys. Chem. B., In Press.

[29] Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2013) Rethinking the existence of a steady-state Δψ component of the proton motive force across plant thylakoid membranes. Photosynth. Res., In Press.

[28] Rutkauskas D, Chmeliov E, Johnson MP, Ruban A, Valkunas L (2012) Exciton annihilation as a probe of the light-harvesting antenna transition into the photoprotective mode. Chem. Physics, In Press

[27] Krüger TPJ, Ilioaia C, Johnson MP, Ruban AV, Papagiannakis E, Horton P, van Grondelle R (2012) Controlled disorder in plant light-harvesting complex II explains its photoprotective role. Biophys J., In Press.

[26] Belgio E, Johnson MP, Juric S, Ruban AV (2012) Higher plant photosystem II light harvesting antenna, not the reaction center, determines both, the maximum excited state and non-photochemical quenching state lifetimes. Biophys J., In Press.

[25] Goral TK, Johnson MP, Duffy CDP, Brain APR, Ruban AV, Mullineaux CW (2012) Light-harvesting antenna composition controls the macrostructure and dynamics of thylakoid membranes in Arabidopsis. Plant J., 69, 289-301.

[24] Johnson MP, Zia A, Ruban AV (2012) Rapidly-reversible photoprotective energy dissipation in lutein- and zeaxanthin-deficient chloroplasts with enhanced ΔpH. Planta, 235, 193-204.

[23] Ruban AV, Johnson MP, Duffy CDP (2012) The photoprotective molecular switch in the Photosystem II antenna. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1817, 167-181.

[22] Ilioaia C, Johnson MP, Liao PN, Pascal AA, van Grondelle R, Walla PJ, Ruban AV, Robert B (2011) Photoprotection in plants involves a change in lutein 1 binding domain in the major light-harvesting complex of photosystem II. J. Biol. Chem., 286, 27247-27254.

[21] Johnson MP, Brain APR, Ruban AV (2011) Changes in thylakoid membrane thickness associated with the reorganization of photosystem II light harvesting complexes during photoprotective energy dissipation. Plant Signaling and Behavior, 6, 1386-1390.

[20] Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2011) Restoration of rapidly-reversible photoprotective energy dissipation in the absence of PsbS protein by enhanced ΔpH. J. Biol. Chem., 286, 19973-19981.

[19] Johnson MP, Goral TK, Duffy CDP, Brain APR, Mullineaux CW, Ruban AV (2011) Photoprotective energy dissipation in higher plants involve the reorganisation of photosystem II light harvesting complexes in the grana membranes of spinach chloroplasts. Plant Cell, 23, 1468-1479.

[18] Ruban AV, Duffy CDP, Johnson MP (2011) Natural light harvesting: principles and environmental trends. Energy and Environmental Sciences, 4, 1643-1650.

[17] Zia A, Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2011) Acclimation- and mutation-induced enhancement of PsbS levels affects the kinetics of non-photochemical quenching in Arabidopsis thaliana. Planta, 233, 1253–1264.

[16] Stadnichuk IN, Bulychev AA, Lukashev EP, Sinetova MP, Khristin MS, Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2011) Far-red light-regulated efficient energy transfer from phycobilisomes to photosystem I in the red microalga Galdieria sulphuraria and photosystems related heterogeneity of phycobilisome population. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1807, 227-235.

[15] Ilioaia C, Johnson MP, Duffy CDP, Pascal A, van Grondelle R, Robert B, Ruban AV (2011) The origin of absorption changes associated with photoprotective energy dissipation in the absence of zeaxanthin. J. Biol. Chem., 284, 91-98.

[14] Duffy CDP, Johnson MP, Macernis M, Valkunas L, Barford W, Ruban AV (2010) A Theoretical Investigation of the Photo-Physical Consequences of Major Plant Light-Harvesting Complex Aggregation within the Photosynthetic Membrane. J. Phys. Chem. B, 114, 15244-15253.

[13] Ruban AV, Johnson MP (2010) Xanthophylls as modulators of membrane protein function. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 504, 78-85.

[12] Goral TK, Johnson MP, Brain APR, Kirchhoff H, Ruban AV, Mullineaux CW (2010) Visualising the mobility and distribution of chlorophyll-proteins in higher plant thylakoid membranes: effects of photoinhibition and protein phosphorylation. Plant J., 64, 948-959.

[11] Johnson MP, Zia A, Horton P, Ruban AV (2010) Effect of xanthophyll composition on the chlorophyll excited state lifetime in plant leaves and isolated LHCII. Chem. Phys. 373, 23-32.

[10] Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2010) Arabidopsis plants lacking PsbS protein possess photoprotective energy dissipation. Plant J., 61, 283-289.

[9] Damkjær JT, Kereïche S, Johnson MP, Kovacs L, Kiss AZ, Boekema EJ, Ruban AV, Horton P , Jansson S (2009) The Photosystem II light harvesting protein Lhcb3 affects the macrostructure of photosystem II and the rate of state transitions in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell, 21, 3245-3256

[8] Johnson MP, Ruban AV (2009) Photoprotective energy dissipation in higher plants involves alteration of the excited state energy of the emitting chlorophyll(s) in LHCII. J. Biol. Chem., 284, 23592–23601

[7] Ruban AV, Johnson MP (2009) Dynamics of higher plant photosystem cross-section associated with state transitions. Photosynth. Res., 99, 173-183.

[6] Johnson MP, Pérez-Bueno ML, Zia A, Horton P, Ruban AV (2009) The zeaxanthin-independent and zeaxanthin-dependent qE components of non-photochemical quenching involve common conformational changes within the Photosystem II antenna in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol., 149, 1061-1075.

[5] Ilioaia C, Johnson MP, Horton P, Ruban AV (2008) Induction of efficient energy dissipation in the isolated light harvesting complex of photosystem II in the absence of protein aggregation. J. Biol. Chem., 283, 29505-29512.

[4] Pérez-Bueno ML, Johnson MP, Zia A, Ruban AV, Horton P (2008) The Lhcb protein and xanthophyll composition of the light harvesting antenna controls the ΔpH-dependency of nonphotochemical quenching in Arabidopsis thaliana. FEBS Lett., 582, 1477-1482.

[3] Horton P, Johnson MP, Pérez-Bueno ML, Kiss A, Ruban AV (2008) Does the structure and macro-organization of photosystem II in higher plant grana membranes regulate light harvesting states? FEBS J., 275, 1069-1079.

[2] Johnson, M.P, Davison, P. Ruban, A.V. and Horton, P. (2008) The xanthophyll cycle pool size controls the kinetics of non-photochemical quenching in Arabidopsis thaliana. FEBS Lett., 582, 262–266.

[1] Johnson MP, Havaux M, Triantaphylidès C, Ksas B, Pascal AA, Robert B, Davison PA, Ruban AV, Horton P (2007) Elevated zeaxanthin bound to oligomeric LHCII enhances the resistance of Arabidopsis to photo-oxidative stress by a lipid protective, anti-oxidant mechanism. J. Biol. Chem., 282, 22605-22618.