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Nickelsen K. Physicochemical Biology and Knowledge Transfer: The Study of the Mechanism of Photosynthesis Between the Two World Wars. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF BIOLOGY 2022; 55:349-377. [PMID: 30937849 DOI: 10.1007/s10739-019-9559-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In the first decades of the twentieth century, the process of photosynthesis was still a mystery: Plant scientists were able to measure what entered and left a plant, but little was known about the intermediate biochemical and biophysical processes that took place. This state of affairs started to change between the two world wars, when a number of young scientists in Europe and the United States, all of whom identified with the methods and goals of physicochemical biology, selected photosynthesis as a topic of research. The protagonists had much in common: They had studied physics and chemistry (although not necessarily plant physiology) to a high level; they used physicochemical methods to study the basic processes of life; they believed these processes were the same, or very similar, in all life forms; and they were affiliated with institutions that fostered this kind of study. This set of cognitive, methodological, and material resources enabled these protagonists to transfer their knowledge of the concepts and techniques from microbiology and human biochemistry, for example, to the study of plant metabolism. These transfers of knowledge had a great influence on the way in which the biochemistry and biophysics of photosynthesis would be studied over the following decades. Through the use of four historical cases, this paper analyzes these knowledge transfers, as well as the investigative pathways that made them possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kärin Nickelsen
- History of Science, Ludwigs Maximilians University Munich, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539, Munich, Germany.
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Bag P, Schröder WP, Jansson S, Farci D. Solubilization Method for Isolation of Photosynthetic Mega- and Super-complexes from Conifer Thylakoids. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4144. [PMID: 34604449 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthesis is the main process by which sunlight is harvested and converted into chemical energy and has been a focal point of fundamental research in plant biology for decades. In higher plants, the process takes place in the thylakoid membranes where the two photosystems (PSI and PSII) are located. In the past few decades, the evolution of biophysical and biochemical techniques allowed detailed studies of the thylakoid organization and the interaction between protein complexes and cofactors. These studies have mainly focused on model plants, such as Arabidopsis, pea, spinach, and tobacco, which are grown in climate chambers even though significant differences between indoor and outdoor growth conditions are present. In this manuscript, we present a new mild-solubilization procedure for use with "fragile" samples such as thylakoids from conifers growing outdoors. Here, the solubilization protocol is optimized with two detergents in two species, namely Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We have optimized the isolation and characterization of PSI and PSII multimeric mega- and super-complexes in a close-to-native condition by Blue-Native gel electrophoresis. Eventually, our protocol will not only help in the characterization of photosynthetic complexes from conifers but also in understanding winter adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pushan Bag
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, Sweden
| | | | - Stefan Jansson
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, Sweden
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Govindjee G, Shen YK, Zhu XG, Mi H, Ogawa T. Honoring Bacon Ke at 100: a legend among the many luminaries and a highly collaborative scientist in photosynthesis research. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 147:243-252. [PMID: 33582974 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00820-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bacon Ke, who did pioneering research on the primary photochemistry of photosynthesis, was born in China on July 26, 1920, and currently, he is living in a senior home in San Francisco, California, and is a centenarian. To us, this is a very happy and unique occasion to honor him. After providing a brief account of his life, and a glimpse of his research in photosynthesis, we present here "messages" for Bacon Ke@ 100 from: Robert Alfano (USA), Charles Arntzen (USA), Sandor Demeter (Hungary), Richard A. Dilley (USA), John Golbeck (USA), Isamu Ikegami (Japan), Ting-Yun Kuang (China), Richard Malkin (USA), Hualing Mi (China), Teruo Ogawa (Japan), Yasusi Yamamoto (Japan), and Xin-Guang Zhu (China).
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Affiliation(s)
- Govindjee Govindjee
- Department of Plant Biology, Department of Biochemistry and the Center of Biophysics & Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Yun-Kang Shen
- National Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin-Guang Zhu
- Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Hualing Mi
- National Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Teruo Ogawa
- , Kamisaginomiya 3-17-11, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 165-0031, Japan
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Kohli A, Miro B, Balié J, d’A Hughes J. Photosynthesis research: a model to bridge fundamental science, translational products, and socio-economic considerations in agriculture. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:2281-2298. [PMID: 32076700 PMCID: PMC7135011 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Despite impressive success in molecular physiological understanding of photosynthesis, and preliminary evidence on its potential for quantum shifts in agricultural productivity, the question remains of whether increased photosynthesis, without parallel fine-tuning of the associated processes, is enough. There is a distinct lack of formal socio-economic impact studies that address the critical questions of product profiling, cost-benefit analysis, environmental trade-offs, and technological and market forces in product acceptability. When a relatively well understood process gains enough traction for translational value, its broader scientific and technical gap assessment, in conjunction with its socio-economic impact assessment for success, should be a prerequisite. The successes in the upstream basic understanding of photosynthesis should be integrated with a gap analysis for downstream translational applications to impact the farmers' and customers' lifestyles and livelihoods. The purpose of this review is to assess how the laboratory, the field, and the societal demands from photosynthesis could generate a transformative product. Two crucial recommendations from the analysis of the state of knowledge and potential ways forward are (i) the formulation of integrative mega-projects, which span the multistakeholder spectrum, to ensure rapid success in harnessing the transformative power of photosynthesis; and (ii) stipulating spatiotemporal, labour, and economic criteria to stage-gate deliverables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay Kohli
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
| | - Berta Miro
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
| | - Jean Balié
- International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
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Supermolecules steer electrons down a wrong-way street. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14398-14400. [PMID: 31266894 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908872116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Ubierna N, Cernusak LA, Holloway-Phillips M, Busch FA, Cousins AB, Farquhar GD. Critical review: incorporating the arrangement of mitochondria and chloroplasts into models of photosynthesis and carbon isotope discrimination. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2019; 141:5-31. [PMID: 30955143 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-019-00635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The arrangement of mitochondria and chloroplasts, together with the relative resistances of cell wall and chloroplast, determine the path of diffusion out of the leaf for (photo)respired CO2. Traditional photosynthesis models have assumed a tight arrangement of chloroplasts packed together against the cell wall with mitochondria located behind the chloroplasts, deep inside the cytosol. Accordingly, all (photo)respired CO2 must cross the chloroplast before diffusing out of the leaf. Different arrangements have recently been considered, where all or part of the (photo)respired CO2 diffuses through the cytosol without ever entering the chloroplast. Assumptions about the path for the (photo)respiratory flux are particularly relevant for the calculation of mesophyll conductance (gm). If (photo)respired CO2 can diffuse elsewhere besides the chloroplast, apparent gm is no longer a mere physical resistance but a flux-weighted variable sensitive to the ratio of (photo)respiration to net CO2 assimilation. We discuss existing photosynthesis models in conjunction with their treatment of the (photo)respiratory flux and present new equations applicable to the generalized case where (photo)respired CO2 can diffuse both into the chloroplast and through the cytosol. Additionally, we present a new generalized Δ13C model that incorporates this dual diffusion pathway. We assess how assumptions about the fate of (photo)respired CO2 affect the interpretation of photosynthetic data and the challenges it poses for the application of different models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ubierna
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Lucas A Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Florian A Busch
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4236, USA
| | - Graham D Farquhar
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
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Pospíšil P, Yamamoto Y. Damage to photosystem II by lipid peroxidation products. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2017; 1861:457-466. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Yamamoto Y. Born in 1949 in postwar Japan. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2016; 127:25-32. [PMID: 25557391 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-014-0072-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In this article, I would like to look back at my life as a researcher of photosynthesis. I was born in 1949, and grew up and was educated in postwar Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. I have studied photosynthesis, in particular Photosystem II, after research experiences in the USA and UK. My study of Photosystem II has continued over 43 years until now. Through the present retrospection, I would like to suggest that all photosynthesis researchers, including the members of the "49ers", many other established scientists, and young students as well, should not simply stay in the lab working hard on their studies and writing papers; but should also do something for the public. People want to learn from us about many critical social issues such as the environment, food, energy and, most importantly, peace. I believe that our knowledge must form an important basis for people to take action to create a peaceful and harmonious human society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasusi Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.
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Hill JF. The controversy over the minimum quantum requirement for oxygen evolution. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2014; 122:97-112. [PMID: 24925628 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-014-0014-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
During the early- to mid-twentieth century, a bitter controversy raged among researchers on photosynthesis regarding the minimum number of light quanta required for the evolution of one molecule of oxygen. From 1923 until his death in 1970, Otto Warburg insisted that this value was about three or four quanta. Beginning in the late 1930s, Robert Emerson and others on the opposing side consistently obtained a value of 8-12 quanta. Warburg changed the protocols of his experiments, sometimes in unexplained ways, yet he almost always arrived at a value of four or less, except eight in carbonate/bicarbonate buffer, which he dismissed as "unphysiological". This paper is largely an abbreviated form of the detailed story on the minimum quantum requirement of photosynthesis, as told by Nickelsen and Govindjee (The maximum quantum yield controversy: Otto Warburg and the "Midwest-Gang", 2011); we provide here a scientific thread, leaving out the voluminous private correspondence among the principal players that Nickelsen and Govindjee (2011) examined in conjunction with their analysis of the principals' published papers. We explore the development and course of the controversy and the ultimate resolution in favor of Emerson's result as the phenomenon of the two-light-reaction, two-pigment-system scheme of photosynthesis came to be understood. In addition, we include a brief discussion of the discovery by Otto Warburg of the requirement for bicarbonate in the Hill reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane F Hill
- , 8211 Hawthorne Road, Bethesda, MD, 20817-3102, USA,
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Nickelsen K, Grashoff G. In pursuit of formaldehyde: causally explanatory models and falsification. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2011; 42:297-305. [PMID: 21802634 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2011.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2010] [Revised: 02/01/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Falsification no longer is the cornerstone of philosophy of science; but it still looms widely that scientists ought to drop an explanatory hypothesis in view of negative results. We shall argue that, to the contrary, negative empirical results are unable to disqualify causally explanatory hypotheses-not because of the shielding effect of auxiliary assumptions but because of the fact that the causal irrelevance of a factor cannot empirically be established. This perspective is elaborated at a case study taken from the history of plant physiology: the formaldehyde model of photosynthesis, which for about sixty years (1870s to 1930s) dominated the field-despite the fact that in these sixty years all the attempts to conclusively demonstrate even the presence of formaldehyde in plants failed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kärin Nickelsen
- History and Philosophy of Science, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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Grobbelaar JU. Microalgal biomass production: challenges and realities. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2010; 106:135-144. [PMID: 20582473 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-010-9573-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The maximum quantum yield (Φ (max)), calculated from the maximum chlorophyll a specific photosynthetic rate divided by the quantum absorption per unit chlorophyll a, is 8 photons or 0.125 mol C per mol Quanta light energy. For the average solar radiation that reaches the earth's surface this relates to a photosynthetic yield of 1.79 g(dw) m(-2) day(-1) per percentage photosynthetic efficiency and it could be doubled for sunny, dry and hot areas. Many factors determine volumetric yields of mass algal cultures and it is not simply a question of extrapolating controlled laboratory rates to large scale outdoor production systems. This is an obvious mistake many algal biotechnology start-up companies make. Closed photobioreactors should be able to outperform open raceway pond cultures because of the synergistic enhancement of a reduced boundary layer and short light/dark fluctuations at high turbulences. However, this has not been shown on any large scale and to date the industrial norm for very large production systems is open raceway production ponds. Microalgal biomass production offers real opportunities for addressing issues such as CO(2) sequestration, biofuel production and wastewater treatment, and it should be the preferred research emphasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan U Grobbelaar
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.
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Drews G. The roots of microbiology and the influence of Ferdinand Cohn on microbiology of the 19th century. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2000; 24:225-49. [PMID: 10841971 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2000.tb00540.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The beginning of modern microbiology can be traced back to the 1870s, and it was based on the development of new concepts that originated during the two preceding centuries on the role of microorganisms, new experimental methods, and discoveries in chemistry, physics, and evolutionary cell biology. The crucial progress was the isolation and growth on solid media of clone cultures arising from single cells and the demonstration that these pure cultures have specific, inheritable characteristics and metabolic capacities. The doctrine of the spontaneous generation of microorganisms, which stimulated research for a century, lost its role as an important concept. Microorganisms were discovered to be causative agents of infectious diseases and of specific metabolic processes. Microscopy techniques advanced studies on microorganisms. The discovery of sexuality and development in microorganisms and Darwin's theory of evolution contributed to the founding of microbiology as a science. Ferdinand Cohn (1828-1898), a pioneer in the developmental biology of lower plants, considerably promoted the taxonomy and physiology of bacteria, discovered the heat-resistant endospores of bacilli, and was active in applied microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Drews
- Institute of Biology 2, Microbiology, Schaenzlestr. 1, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany.
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Gerhart D. Forty-five years of developmental biology of photosynthetic bacteria. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 1996; 48:325-352. [PMID: 24271475 DOI: 10.1007/bf00029467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/1996] [Accepted: 03/20/1996] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Developmental biology and cell differentiation of photosynthetic prokaryotes are less noticed fields than the showpieces of eukaryotes, e.g. Drosophila melanogaster. The large metabolic versatility of the facultative purple bacteria and their great capability to adapt to different ecological conditions, however, aroused the inquisitiveness to investigate the process of cell differentiation and to use these bacteria as model system to study structure, function and biosynthesis of the photosynthetic apparatus. The great progress in research in this field paved the way to study principal mechanisms of cellular organization and differentiation in these bacteria. In this article, the history of the research on membrane structure and development of anoxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes during the last 45 years is described. A personal account of how I entered the field through research on the phototaxis of cyanobacteria is given. Intracytoplasmic membranes (ICM) were detected by electron microscopy in cyanobacteria and in purple non-sulfur bacteria. The formation of ICM by invagination of the cytoplasmic membrane in purple bacteria was observed for the first time. Investigations on the effect of changes in oxygen tension and light intensity on the formation of pigments and intracytoplasmic membranes followed. The isolation, purification, and analysis of light-harvesting complexes and of pigment-binding proteins was the next step of our research. Lipopolysaccharides and peptidoglycans were detected and analyzed in the outer membrane of photosynthetic bacteria. Functional membrane differentiation includes variations in the rates of photophosphorylation and electron transport. Molecular genetic approaches have initiated the investigation of transcriptional regulation and the analysis of correlation between pigment and protein synthesis. Molecular analysis of assembly of light-harvesting complexes and membrane differentiation are the present aspects of our research. Cell differentiation has been considered under evolutionary view.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Gerhart
- Institut für Biologie 2, Mikrobiologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
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Katoh S. The discovery and function of plastocyanin: A personal account. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 1995; 43:177-189. [PMID: 24306841 DOI: 10.1007/bf00029931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/1995] [Accepted: 01/23/1995] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A brief autobiographical account is presented of the early research that led to the discovery of the copper protein plastocyanin and the identification of its function as an electron carrier in plant photosynthesis. A discussion follows of different approaches employed for the determination of the functional site of plastocyanin in relation to cytochrome f. A summary is provided of a heated controversy about the involvement of two or three light reactions in photosynthesis and an experiment is described that has contributed to resolution of the controversy through the identification of the functional site of plastocyanin. An early history of photosynthesis research in Japan is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Katoh
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Miyama, 274, Funabashi, Japan
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Pirson A. Sixty years in algal physiology and photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 1994; 40:207-221. [PMID: 24309940 DOI: 10.1007/bf00034771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/1993] [Accepted: 12/21/1993] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This personal perspective records research experiences in chemistry and biology at four German universities, two before and two after World War II. The research themes came from cytophysiology of green unicellular algae, in particular their photosynthesis. The function of inorganic ions in photosynthesis and dark respiration was investigated at different degrees of specific mineral stress (deficiencies), and the kinetics of recovery followed after the addition of the missing element. Two types of recovery of photosynthesis were observed: indirect restitution via growth processes and immediate normalisation. From the latter case (K(+), phosphate, Mn(++)) the effect of manganese was emphasized as its role in photosynthetic O2 evolution became established during our research. Other themes of our group, with some bearing on photosynthesis were: synchronization of cell growth by light-dark change and effects of blue (vs. red) light on the composition of green cells. Some experiences in connection with algal mass cultures are included. Discussion of several editorial projects shows how photosynthesis, as an orginally separated field of plant biochemistry and biophysics, became included into general cell physiology and even ecophysiology of green plants. The paper contains an appreciation of the authors' main mentor Kurt Noack (1888-1963) and of Ernst Georg Pringsheim (1881-1970), founder of experimental phycology.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Pirson
- Ewaldstrasse 71, D-37075, Göttingen, Germany
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