Prof. Stefan Jansson
- Please tell us about yourself and your research/institution.
I am a Professor of Plant Molecular Cell Biology at UPSC, where my research focuses on light-harvesting complexes (LHCs), phenology, and natural variation in aspen. I have been part of this institute since my doctoral studies, with one formative break for a postdoctoral year at the University of Copenhagen, before UPSC merged with SLU.
In 1993–1994, I started a project to understand the functions of the specific chlorophyll-binding proteins by generating antisense mutants. Very quickly, I realized that high-quality antibodies were essential to study these proteins in detail. This led to a collaboration with a research group in the United States, and by 1996 we had developed a complete antibody set against all LHC proteins. This opened the door to systematic characterization of these complexes.
Soon, researchers from around the world began requesting these antibodies. What started as sharing reagents between colleagues grew into something much larger. As demand increased, it became clear that a more sustainable solution was needed — and this is where Agrisera entered the picture. The LHC antibodies were added to the Agrisera catalog, at a time when sequence information was still very limited, making antibody-based tools especially powerful. That collaboration not only made the antibodies broadly accessible, but also strongly supported the continuation and expansion of my research.
- What motivated you to get into plant science?
Originally, I was training to become a teacher in life sciences, with a focus on chemistry, biology, and physics. I believed deeply in the importance of education. However, teacher positions in Umeå were scarce at the time. Meanwhile, my wife was a doctoral student at the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University. Her supervisor asked if I would consider starting a PhD. Although my background was more in ecology, I accepted — a decision I have never regretted.
- How have you used (Agrisera) antibodies in your research?
Including the LHC antibodies in the Agrisera catalog made it possible to support and expand my future research. Over the years, we developed additional tools, including antibodies against phosphorylated Lhcb proteins, which were crucial for characterizing mutants and studying regulatory mechanisms. We explored and tested many different antibodies, and they became a central part of our experimental toolbox.
Links
• Prof. Stefan Jansson
• Umeå Plant Science Center (UPSC)
• Agrisera antibodies to light harvesting proteins (LCH)