Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Shin-Ichiro Ozawa

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Shin-Ichiro Ozawa, first author of The OPR Protein MTHI1 Controls the Expression of Two Different Subunits of ATP Synthase CFo in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Current Position:  Assistant Professor (specially appointed) in Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University

Education:   Ph.D (2009) in biochemistry, Master (2005) and Bachelor (2003) in biology at Okayama University, Japan

Non-scientific Interests: Japanese tea ceremony, martial art, museum (art) tour, café-hop, walking around town and looking at the architecture, painting

Brief bio: My scientific interest is how biological machinery is organized. Photosynthesis reaction is a key player as a unique energy supplier. In addition to this importance, thanks to the previous researchers, the system is described artistically which attracts me. Therefore I decided on the topic of my thesis on a system of assembly and biogenesis for the photosystem I complex (PSI complex) in the photosynthetic apparatuses. The PSI complex consists of more than ten subunits and more than one hundred cofactors. The complexity of the PSI complex makes it difficult to reveal the whole scheme of the biogenesis process while the subunit stoichiometry is simple. Because cofactor incorporation mechanisms should also be considered. After finishing my Ph.D., I found the post-doc position to investigate the chloroplast ATP synthase assembly. Chloroplast ATP synthase does not contain any cofactors but the stoichiometry of subunits is complicated whereas the stoichiometry of the PSI subunit is one by one. Therefore I had decided to switch the research target from PSI complex to ATP synthase for assembly research. After starting the research, I realized that one gene product regulates the two subunits in two different functions. Thus it took a lot of time to obtain the scientific evidence to prove this quadruple relationship (two genes for two functions). My post-doc life in Paris is around 2010-2013, so this publication is the result of long-standing scientific efforts of all authors, not only me, even after finishing my Post-doc in Paris. I wish to offer my immeasurable gratitude to all authors here. I appreciate this opportunity to present our efforts as a first author profile.