School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following seminar:

Speaker: Dr. Ke Liang, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University
Talk Title: Structural studies of chloroplast protein import motor complex

Date: 23 July 2025 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: HKJC-S1B, G/F, The HKJC Bldg for Interdisciplinary Research, 5 Sassoon Road
Host: Professor Tao Ni
 

Biography

Dr. Ke Liang received her Ph.D. from the School of Life Sciences at Westlake University in 2024, under the supervision of Prof. Yigong Shi and Dr. Zhen Yan. Her doctoral research focused on high-resolution structural studies of the nuclear pore complex and the chloroplast protein import motor complex. She employed cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to investigate the architecture and mechanisms of membrane-associated macromolecular assemblies. Dr. Liang has published several seminal papers to contribute to the understanding of protein import in chloroplast (Cell 2024a: Cell 2024b).

Abstract

Chloroplasts are fundamental organelles in plant cells and act as the primary site of photosynthesis to sustain life on Earth. Over 95% of chloroplast proteins are encoded by the nuclear genome and synthesized in the cytosol as preproteins. These preproteins must be imported into the chloroplast through specialized translocons located in the double membrane envelope. In this seminar, Dr. Liang will present recent structural studies on the Ycf2-FtsHi complex, an essential AAA+ ATPase motor complex that drives chloroplast protein import. These studies establish a structural foundation for understanding the assembly, function, evolutionary conservation, and diversity of chloroplast protein import motors.

All are welcome.