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Newsletter +++ June 2022
Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry
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Mourning a plant researcher of world renown
It is with great sorrow that the employees of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) bid farewell to their longtime companion and former Managing Director, Professor Dierk Scheel. The plant scientist of international renown passed away unexpectedly in Halle (Saale) on 18 May 2022. Dierk Scheel managed the department of Stress and Developmental Biology at the IPB from 1994 to 2019. As Managing Director from 1998 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2007, he contributed greatly to the institute’s scientific reputation. In this function, Professor Scheel was the driving force behind the implementation of visionary ideas and saw to the establishment of new, groundbreaking research technologies that, in the meantime, are recognized far beyond Germany’s borders. >> IPB Press Release >>To the condolence page
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Cellulose structures in seed mucilage
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Arabidopsis seeds form large amounts of hydrophilic polysaccharides in their coats, which swell on contact with water to a mucilage bursting the outer seed coat. In addition to pectins, the mucilage coat also contains radiating cellulose fibrils. It is unknown which genetic factors influence such a deposition of highly ordered cellulose structures in the seed mucilage. IPB scientists have now identified several factors that play a role in this process. Published in New Phytologist // >> Read more
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More than just stabilizers: Function of plant mannans
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Also dealing with plant cell wall polymers is a review recently written by Cătălin Voiniciuc. Therein, he summarizes the latest findings on plant mannans. Many of the results come from his own work, which he conducted most recently as head of the junior group Designer Glycans at IPB. Cătălin Voiniciuc has been Associate Professor of Synthetic Biology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, USA, in February 2022. Published in New Phytologist // >> Read more
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How plants resist phosphate deficiency
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Phosphate, as an essential nutrient for the plant, is sometimes hard to obtain. In the soil, metals such as iron interact with the scarce nutrient and form complexes that are difficult to dissolve, which further limits the availability of phosphate. IPB scientists have now been able to show that plants under phosphate deficiency confront the excess of iron with the help of a ferrooxidase. Published in Current Biology // >> Read more
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Drought stress reduces nitrogen fixation in legumes
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Drought causes dramatic yield losses in legumes and reduced nitrogen fixation by their symbiotic partners, the rhizobia. Scientists assume that drought stress triggers increased production of reactive carbonyl compounds in the root nodules. IPB chemists have now studied the carbonyl metabolome of pea root nodules for the first time and demonstrated the first correlations between carbonyl metabolism and drought-induced losses in nitrogen fixation. Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences // >> Read more
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Quality control for new vaccine candidates
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In October 2020, our chemists, together with Cuban partners, produced novel glycoconjugates that can be used as new vaccines against pneumonia. Now they have developed an analytical method to subject the potential vaccine candidates to a sophisticated quality control. With that, the next step towards application has been taken. Published in Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis // >> Read more
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New fungal species discovered in Chile
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Sepedonium loyorum is the name of the new species that IPB fungi expert Norbert Arnold discovered together with partners on site in Chile. The fungus parasitizes on the endemic mushroom Boletus loyo, where it forms the typical golden-yellow mold mycelium. The authors provide a detailed description of S. loyorum and important ecological insights into the occurrence of the host fungi, which as mycorrhizal fungi are in turn bound to certain tree species. Published in Microorganisms // >> Read more
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July 1, 2022: Long Night of Lectures at IPB
The Long Night of Sciences will take place on site again. At the IPB there will be a series of lectures (in German) about plant sciences from 18:00 to 23:00. Since space at the institute is limited, registration is required.
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Symposium: OMICS in Plant Science
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Finally on site again! On May 12 and 13, 2022, the IPB again hosted its annual Leibniz Plant Biochemistry Symposium. After a pandemic break in 2020 and an online symposium last Spring, about 80 participants finally met again this year in Halle an der Saale. >> Read more
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Bettina Hause is member of the Göttingen Academy
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Here, science is greening and blooming. This large-flowered red poppy, the Armenian poppy or medicinal poppy (Papaver bracteatum), was already thoroughly studied by the institute's founder Kurt Mothes in the 1970s. Unlike the opium poppy, the Armenian poppy does not produce morphine, but instead accumulates a precursor of morphine, thebaine, in its capsules. The alkaloids of the opium poppy, codeine and morphine, which are still used today, can be produced synthetically from thebaine. The plants went down in history as narcotic-free poppies and even attracted the interest of the United Nations, which was looking for an alternative to opium poppy cultivation to combat the drug problem. Nothing has yet come of these plans. As an ornamental plant, however, the Armenian poppy continues to be attractive. We wish all friends and supporters of the IPB a tranquil summer!
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