The ultimate aim of this research will be to improve the hardiness of plants and algae to climate change and could lead to improved generation of sustainable fuels such as biohydrogen.
Plants, algae and bacteria convert light into chemical energy to power the fixation of carbon dioxide into biomass, providing the oxygen and food that sustains the biosphere. However natural photosynthesis operates with an efficiency of only ~2-3% in most species and even these modest figures are now threatened by the severe weather associated with climate change. Against this backdrop there is an increased demand for food and biofuel production to meet the needs of a growing population.
Professor Johnson explains “Recent work has shown that genetic interventions aimed at improving photosynthetic photoprotection can increase tolerance to environmental stress and boost yield. However, the success of future interventions requires the fundamental underpinning science. A key area requiring improved understanding is the photoprotection of photosystem I, the most abundant solar-powered machine on Earth.”
“On sunny days photosystem I is extremely susceptible to light-induced damage, therefore plants and algae go to great lengths to protect it from damage. Our recent work using gene editing in model green algae provided evidence that the location of a key photosynthetic electron transfer protein known as FNR is critical to controlling photoprotection. The challenge now is to understand why.”
This work dovetails into the University’s. commitment to research in the areas of sustainable food and energy, which is underpinned by two flagship research institutes.