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Participating Faculty
David
Kramer
Professor
Institute of Biological Chemistry
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-4660
Ph.D.,
1990
University of Illinois
Phone:
509-335-4964
Fax: 509-335-7643
Email: dkramer@wsu.edu
Research
Interests:
The aim of our
research is to understand the fundamental mechanisms of photosynthesis
and the implications of these mechanisms for the growth and survival
of plants.
Research
Summary:
In order to understand
photosynthesis in living organisms, we must approach these questions
on several levels of biological complexity, integrating biophysical,
biochemical and physiological approaches. The mechanisms of individual
catalytic steps are studied in isolated enzyme complexes using biochemical
and spectroscopic [absorption, fluorescence, circular dichroism,
electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) etc.]. Knowledge gained from
these studies is then applied to more complex systems, starting
with isolated organelles (chloroplasts or thylakoids), and working
up to intact plants in the field. In the past, this type of approach
was limited by a lack of suitable instrumentation. We are addressing
this need by developing a series of novel instruments that allow
measurements of specific partial reactions in intact plants as well
as in isolated complexes
Representative
Publications:
Muller FL, Roberts AG, Bowman MK, Kramer DM. (2003) Architecture
of the Qo site of the cytochrome bc1 complex probed by superoxide
production. Biochemistry;42(21):6493-9.
Roberts AG,
Gregor W, Britt RD, Kramer DM. (2003) Acceptor and donor-side interactions
of phenolic inhibitors in Photosystem II. Biochim Biophys Acta;1604(1):23-32.
Avenson TJ,
Cruz JA, Kanazawa A, Kramer DM. (2005) Regulating the proton budget
of higher plant photosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 102(27):9709-13.
Cape JL, Strahan JR, Lenaeus MJ, Yuknis BA, Le TT, Shepherd JN,
Bowman MK, Kramer DM. (2005) The respiratory substrate rhodoquinol
induces Q-cycle bypass reactions in the yeast cytochrome bc(1) complex:
mechanistic and physiological implications. J Biol Chem. 280(41):34654-60.
Cruz JA, Kanazawa A, Treff N, Kramer DM. (2005) Storage of light-driven
transthylakoid proton motive force as an electric field (Deltapsi)
under steady-state conditions in intact cells of Chlamydomonasreinhardtii.
Photosynth Res. 85(2):221-33.
Cape JL, Bowman MK, Kramer DM 2006 Understanding the cytochrome
bc complexes by what they don't do. The Q-cycle at 30. Trends Plant
Sci 11:46-55
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