1991.09 - 1995.07  B.S., Department of Biology, Nankai University, China

1999.09 - 2002.07  M.S., Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

2004.09 - 2007.07  Ph.D., Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

1995.07 - 1999.06  Research fellow,Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

1999.07 - 2004.06  Assistant Professor,Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2007.08 - 2016.12  Associate Professor,Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2016.12 -                Professor,Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Photosynthesis is one of the most important chemical reactions in the world. Oxygenic photosynthetic organisms use solar energy to produce carbohydrates, and release oxygen, providing the food and energy for almost all living lives on the earth. Photosynthesis occurs in two stages: light reactions and dark reactions. The light reactions take place in the thylakoid membranes, and accomplished by at least five supra-molecular complexes. During light reactions, ATP and NADPH are generated and used in the dark reactions to produce carbohydrates. Analysis on the mechanisms of photosynthesis and its regulation is expected to provide resolutions for thecrisis in food, energy and environment.

The research interests are as following:

1. Structural and functional analysis of photosynthesis membrane proteins related to the light reactions.

2. Studies on the regulative mechanisms of light harvesting and electron transport in photosynthetic organisms.

3. Structural and functional analysis of important enzymes and complexes involved in the dark reactions ofphotosynthesis.

1. Zhang S¹, Zou B¹, Cao P, Su X, Xie F, Pan X, Li M*. Structural insights into photosynthetic cyclic electron transport. Mol Plant. 2023 Jan; 16(1): 187-205.

2. Wang J, Liu Z, Pan X, Wang N, Li L, Du Y, Li J*, Li M*. Structural and Biochemical Analysis Reveals Catalytic Mechanism of Fucoidan Lyase from Flavobacterium sp. SA-0082. Marine Drugs 2022 20(8): 533.

3. Yu G¹, Hao J¹, Pan X¹, Shi L, Zhang Y, Wang J, Fan H, Xiao Y, Yang F, Lou J, Chang W, Malnoe A*, Li M*. Structure of Arabidopsis SOQ1 lumenal region unveils C-terminal domain essential for negative regulation of photoprotective qH. Nat Plants. 2022 July; 8:840-855.

4. Su X¹, Cao D¹, Pan X*, Shi L, Liu Z, Dall'Osto L, Bassi R, Zhang X*, Li M*. Supramolecular assembly of chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase-like complex with photosystem I from Arabidopsis thaliana. Mol Plant. 2022 Mar; 15(3):454-467. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2022.01.020.

5. Cao P¹, Bracun L¹, Yamagata A¹, Christianson B, Negami T, Zou B, Terada T, Canniffe D, Shirouzu M*, Li M*, Liu LN*. Structural basis for the assembly and quinone transport mechanisms of the dimeric photosynthetic RC-LH1 supercomplex. Nat Commun. 2022 Apr; 13(1):1977. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29563-3.

6. Pan X¹, Tokutsu R¹, Li A¹, Takizawa K, Song C, Murata K, Yamasaki T, Liu Z*, Minagawa J* and Li M*. Structural basis of LhcbM5-mediated state transitions in green algae. Nat. Plants, 2021 Jul; 7:1119–1131.

7. Cao P, Pan X, Su X, Liu Z, Li M*. Assembly of eukaryotic photosystem II with diverse light-harvesting antennas. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2020 Aug;63:49-57.

8. Yu A¹; Xie Y¹; Pan X; Zhang H; Cao P; Su X; Chang W; Li M*. Photosynthetic Phosphoribulokinase Structures: Enzymatic Mechanisms and the Redox Regulation of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham Cycle. Plant Cell. 2020 May;32(5):1556-1573.

9. Gao Y¹; Zhang H¹; Fan M; Jia C; Shi L; Pan X; Cao P; Zhao X; Chang W; Li M*. Structural insights into catalytic mechanism and product delivery of cyanobacterial acyl-acyl carrier protein reductase. Nat Commun., 2020 Mar 23, 11:1525

10. Cao P¹; Cao D¹; Si L; Su X; Tian L; Chang W; Liu Z; Zhang X*; Li M*. Structural basis for energy and electron transfer of the photosystem I-IsiA-flavodoxin supercomplex, Nature Plants. 2020 Feb 10, 6:167~176

11. Pan X¹; Cao D¹; Xie F¹; Xu F¹; Su X; Mi H; Zhang X*; Li M*. Structural basis for electron transport mechanism of complex I-like photosynthetic NAD(P)H dehydrogenase. Nat Commun., 2020 Jan 30, 11(1):610

12. Pan X; Cao P; Su X; Liu Z; Li M*. Structural analysis and comparison of light-harvesting complexes I and II. BBA-Bioenergetics. 2020 Apr 1, 1861(4): 148038.

13. Su X¹, Ma J¹, Pan X¹, Zhao X, Chang W, Liu Z, Zhang X*, Li M*. Antenna arrangement and energy transfer pathways of a green algal photosystem I-LHCI supercomplex. Nat Plants. 2019 2019 Mar 8; 5: 273~281

14. Pan X¹, Ma J¹, Su X¹, Cao P, Chang W, Liu Z, Zhang X*, Li M*. Structure of the maize photosystem I supercomplex with light-harvesting complexes I and II. Science. 2018, 360(6393):1109-1113.

15. Cao P, Su X, Pan X, Liu Z, Chang W, Li M*. Structure, assembly and energy transfer of plant photosystem II supercomplex. Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg. 2018, 1859(9):633-644.

16. Su X¹, Ma J¹, Wei X¹, Cao P¹, Zhu D, Chang W, Liu Z*, Zhang X*, Li M*. Structure and assembly mechanism of plant C(2)S(2)M(2)-type PSII-LHCII supercomplex. Science. 2017, 357(6353):815-820.

17. Wei X¹, Su X¹, Cao P, Liu X,Chang W, Li M*, Zhang X*, Liu Z*. Structure of spinach photosystem II-LHCII supercomplex at 3.2 Å resolution. Nature. 2016, 534(7605):69-74.

18. Fan M¹, Xiao Y¹, Li M*, Chang W*. Crystal Structures of Arabidopsis thaliana Oxalyl-CoA Synthetase Essential for Oxalate Degradation. Molecular Plant. 2016 9(9):1349-52

19. Fan M, Li M*, Liu Z, Cao P, Pan X, Zhang H, Zhao X, Zhang J, Chang W*. Crystal structures of the PsbS protein essential for photoprotection in plants. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2015, 22(9):729-735.

20. Cao P¹, Xie Y¹, Li M*, Pan X, Zhang H, Zhao X, Su X, Cheng T,Chang W*. Crystal Structure Analysis of Extrinsic PsbP Protein of Photosystem II Reveals a Manganese-Induced Conformational Change. Molecular Plant, 2015,8, 664–666.

21. Jia C, Li M*, Li J, Zhang J, Zhang H, Cao P, Pan X, Lu X*, Chang W*. Structural insights into the catalytic mechanism of aldehyde-deformylating Oxygenases. Protein Cell, 2015, 6(1):55–67.

22. Zhang H, Li M*, Gao Y, Jia C, Pan X, Cao P, Zhao X, Zhang J, Chang W*. Structural implications of Dpy30 oligomerization for MLL/SET1 COMPASS H3K4 trimethylation. Protein Cell. 2015 Feb;6(2):147-51.

23. Wan T, Li M*, Zhao X, Zhang J, Liu Z, Chang W*. Crystal structure of a multilayer packed major light-harvesting complex: implications for grana stacking in higher plants. Molecular Plant. 2014 May;7(5):916-9.

(From Mei Li, June 29, 2023)