A tribute to Ulrich Heber (1930-2016) for his contribution to photosynthesis research: understanding the interplay between photosynthetic primary reactions, metabolism and the environment.

Abstract

The dynamic and efficient coordination of primary photosynthetic reactions with leaf energization and metabolism under a wide range of environmental conditions is a fundamental property of plants involving processes at all functional levels. The present historical perspective covers 60years of research aiming to understand the underlying mechanisms, linking major breakthroughs to current progress. It centers on the contributions of Ulrich Heber who had pioneered novel concepts, fundamental methods, and mechanistic understanding of photosynthesis. An important first step was the development of non-aqueous preparation of chloroplasts allowing the investigation of chloroplast metabolites ex vivo (meaning that the obtained results reflect the in vivo situation). Later on, intact chloroplasts, retaining their functional envelope membranes, were isolated in aqueous media to investigate compartmentation and exchange of metabolites between chloroplasts and external medium. These studies elucidated metabolic interaction between chloroplasts and cytoplasm during photosynthesis. Experiments with isolated intact chloroplasts clarified that oxygenation of ribulose-1.5-bisphosphate generates glycolate in photorespiration. The development of non-invasive optical methods enabled researchers identifying mechanisms that balance electron flow in the photosynthetic electron transport system avoiding its over-reduction. Recording chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence allowed one to monitor, among other parameters, thermal energy dissipation by means of 'nonphotochemical quenching' of the excited state of Chl a. Furthermore, studies both in vivo and in vitro led to basic understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of freezing damage and frost tolerance of plant leaves, to SO2 tolerance of tree leaves and dehydrating lichens and mosses.