.PLENARY LECTURES

Eva-Mari Aro

evaaro@utu.fi
www.sci.utu.fi/kasvimb/staff/em_aro.html

CV
Address: Department of Biology, University of Turku, FIN-20014 Turku, Finland

Tel: 358-(0)2-3335931; Fax: 358-(0)2-3335549; E-mail:evaaro@utu.fi

Education:

B.Sc., 1973, University of Turku, Finland

M.Sc., 1975, University of Turku, Finland

Phil.lic., 1977, University of Turku, Finland

Ph.D., University of Turku, 1982, University of Turku, Finland

Main Positions:

Researcher (Junior Research Scholarship), Turku University Foundation 1977-1978

Assistant in Botany, University of Turku 1978-1980

Research Assistant and Junior Researcher, Academy of Finland 1981-1987

Senior Researcher, Academy of Finland, 1989, 1995, 1996, 1997

Associate Professor in Physiological Botany, University of Turku, 1987-1998

Professor in Physiological Botany, University of Turku, 1998-

Honours:

Academy Professor, Academy of Finland, 1.8.1998-31.7.2008


Research Interest
Harvesting and transduction of light into chemical energy, with concomitant splitting of water molecules, are unique for oxygenic photosynthetic membranes composed of structurally and functionally highly differentiated membrane protein complexes. Our research aim at understanding the regulatory pathways that govern the biogenesis, performance and acclimation of the photosynthetic protein complexes in the thylakoid membrane, particularly that of the water-splitting Photosystem II composed of nearly 30 different protein subunits encoded by both the chloroplast and the nuclear genomes. Identification and role of translocon components, molecular chaperones and other folding factors in the thylakoid membrane, in stroma and in the thylakoid lumen during translation, insertion and assembly of chloroplast-encoded thylakoid membrane proteins are being addressed. As chloroplasts have developed from prokaryotic progenitors, we investigate in parallel the regulation and assembly of both the cyanobacterial and chloroplast thylakoid membrane complexes. Detailed structural and functional analysis of multiple cyanobacterial NDH-1 complexes are under study.

In addition to the harvesting of sunlight, the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts also function as "receptors" of environmental signals, thus modifying the chloroplast redox environment. Redox signalling from chloroplasts to the nucleus is likely to be an important component in various stress responses and acclimation of plants. We aim at molecular identification of the redox sensors as well as the subsequent signal transduction pathways and the target genes in the nucleus. Information on global redox regulation of nuclear genes by chloroplast signals is obtained using Arabidopsis microarrays and proteomics approaches. Arabidopsis "redox mutants" with specific defects in photosynthesis-related gene expression and/or in the composition of chloroplast redox components are applied for these studies to identify the redox sensors involved and the target genes. Proteomics approaches are taken to study the gene expression at protein level - both MALDI-TOF/TOF and ES1 AP1 QSTAR mass spectrometers are at our disposal.


Selected Publications
  1. Suorsa M, Sirpio S, Allahverdiyeva Y, Paakkarinen V, Mamedov F, Styring S, Aro EM. PsbR, a missing link in the assembly of the oxygen-evolving complex of plant photosystem II. J. Biol. Chem. 2006 281, 145-150.
  2. Rokka A, Suorsa M, Saleem A, Battchikova N, Aro EM. Synthesis and assembly of thylakoid protein complexes: multiple assembly steps of photosystem II. Biochem. J. 2005 388, 159-168.
  3. Zhang P, Battchikova N, Jansen T, Appel J, Ogawa T, Aro EM. Expression and functional roles of the two distinct NDH-1 complexes and the carbon acquisition complex NdhD3/NdhF3/CupA/Sll1735 in Synechocystis sp PCC 6803. Plant Cell 2004 16, 3326-3340.
  4. Baena-Gonzalez E, Allahverdiyeva Y, Svab Z, Maliga P, Josse EM, Kuntz M, Maenpaa P, Aro EM. Deletion of the tobacco plastid psbA gene triggers an upregulation of the thylakoid-associated NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex and the plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX). Plant J. 2003 35, 704-716.
  5. Rokka A, Zhang L, Aro EM. Rubisco activase: an enzyme with a temperature-dependent dual function? Plant J. 2001 25, 463-471.
  6. Zhang L, Paakkarinen V, van Wijk KJ, Aro EM. Biogenesis of the chloroplast-encoded D1 protein: regulation of translation elongation, insertion, and assembly into photosystem II. Plant Cell 2000 12, 1769-1782.
  7. Rintamaki E, Martinsuo P, Pursiheimo S, Aro EM. Cooperative regulation of light-harvesting complex II phosphorylation via the plastoquinol and ferredoxin-thioredoxin system in chloroplasts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2000 97, 11644-11649.
  8. Tyystjarvi E, Aro EM. The rate constant of photoinhibition, measured in lincomycin-treated leaves, is directly proportional to light intensity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1996 93, 2213-2218.
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