Prof. Peter Julian Nixon from Imperial College of London paid a visit to Institute of Hydrobilogy (IHB) of Chinese Academy of Sciences on September 12, 2019. He gave an academic lecture entitled “Chlorophyll f synthesis by a modified photosystem II complex” during his stay at IHB.  

In the lecture, Prof. Nixon shared his research progress on the biosynthesis of chlorophyll f in cyanobacteria. He showed the audience that the PSll-like complexes plays an important role in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll f.  

The D1-like protein, ChlF, in PSII-like complexes is in fact the chlorophyll f synthetase. The detailed mechanism of ChlF for Chl f biosynthesis was proposed.  

Nixon’s work provides great insight for developing more efficient photosynthesis systems, which is critical for developing bioenergy-producing phototrophs.  

The goals of Prof. Nixon’s research are to understand fundamental aspects of natural photosynthesis and to use this knowledge to develop robust cyanobacterial, algal and plant solar biorefineries for producing biofuels and high-value products.  

He is a member of the Plant Section Committee, the Society of Experimental Biology and the Editorial Board of JBC. He has published many high-quality articles as the lead author or communication author.