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Eberhard Schäfer (scientist)

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Eberhard Schäfer (born 23 June 1945) is a German plant biologist and professor emeritus at the University of Freiburg. He is recognized for his contributions to the study of phytochromes, light perception in plants, and photomorphogenesis.[1] His work has combined experimental biology with mathematical modeling and has contributed to the understanding of plant light signaling pathways, including photoreceptor-mediated nuclear import and thermal sensing in plants.[2]

Early life and education

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Eberhard Schäfer was born in Thuringia, East Germany, and grew up in Lower Saxony and later in Duisburg, where his father worked in the oil trade.[3] Initially interested in medicine and the physical sciences, Schäfer studied physics and mathematics at the University of Freiburg.[4] After completing his Diplom (equivalent to a master’s degree) in physics in 1969[5] he transitioned into biology, with an interest in photobiology. He began his doctoral research in the laboratory of Hans Mohrat the University of Freiburg. Schäfer’s PhD work focused on in vivo spectroscopy of phytochrome using the Ratiospect device, a semi-automated photometric system. He completed his doctorate in 1971 and was offered a permanent research position shortly thereafter.[6]

Academic career

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Schäfer established an independent research group at Freiburg and received his habilitation in 1975.[7] In 1995 he was appointed as a full professor,[8] succeeding Hans Mohr. He has held sabbatical appointments at institutions including with Winslow Briggs in the Carnegie Institute at Stanford[9] and with Masaki Furuya at the RIKEN Institute[10] in Japan.

Research contributions

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Schäfer’s research spans multiple domains of plant photobiology:

Phytochrome kinetics and mathematical modeling

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  • Developed mathematical models describing the kinetics of phytochrome action, including continuous light responses (High Irradiance Response, HIR).[11]
  • Demonstrated the temperature dependence of phytochrome dark reversion, contributing to later research showing that phytochrome B (phyB) functions as a thermosensor.[12][13]

Nuclear import of phytochromes

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  • In collaboration with Ferenc Nagy identified and characterized the light-dependent nuclear import of phytochromes (types A–E), which helped link photoreception at the plasma membrane or cytosol to nuclear gene expression.[14]
  • Collaborated with Ferenc Nagy and others to demonstrate how post-translational modification of phytochromes modifies intracellular localization dynamics and signaling.[15]

UV-B photoreception

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  • Collaborated with Klaus Hahlbrock and later with Roman Ulm and Ferenc Nagy among others on the mechanisms of UV-B perception.[16][17]
  • Contributed to the identification and characterization of UVR8 as a specific UV-B photoreceptor.[18]

Honors and memberships

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  • Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 2001).[19]
  • Recognized as an ASPB Pioneer Member by the American Society of Plant Biologists[3][20]

References

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  1. ^ Gyula, Péter; Schäfer, Eberhard; Nagy, Ferenc (2003). "Light perception and signalling in higher plants". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 6 (5): 446–452. Bibcode:2003COPB....6..446G. doi:10.1016/S1369-5266(03)00082-7. PMID 12972045.
  2. ^ "Google Scholar".
  3. ^ a b "ASPB Pioneer Member - Eberhard Schäfer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-07-05.
  4. ^ https://www.leopoldina.org/mitgliederverzeichnis/mitglieder/member/Member/show/eberhard-schaefer/
  5. ^ https://www.leopoldina.org/fileadmin/redaktion/Mitglieder/CV_Schaefer_Eberhard_D.pdf
  6. ^ https://aspb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ASPBPioneerMember_EberhardSchafer.pdf
  7. ^ https://www.leopoldina.org/mitgliederverzeichnis/mitglieder/member/Member/show/eberhard-schaefer/
  8. ^ https://www.leopoldina.org/mitgliederverzeichnis/mitglieder/member/Member/show/eberhard-schaefer/
  9. ^ https://carnegiescience.edu/NASBriggs
  10. ^ https://aspb.org/newsletter/archive/2014/septoct14.pdf
  11. ^ Schäfer, E. (1975). "A new approach to explain the ?high irradiance responses? Of photomorphogenesis on the basis of phytochrome". Journal of Mathematical Biology. 2: 41–56. doi:10.1007/BF00276015.
  12. ^ Jung, Jae-Hoon; Domijan, Mirela; Klose, Cornelia; Biswas, Surojit; Ezer, Daphne; Gao, Mingjun; Khattak, Asif Khan; Box, Mathew S.; Charoensawan, Varodom; Cortijo, Sandra; Kumar, Manoj; Grant, Alastair; Locke, James C. W.; Schäfer, Eberhard; Jaeger, Katja E.; Wigge, Philip A. (2016). "Phytochromes function as thermosensors in Arabidopsis". Science. 354 (6314): 886–889. Bibcode:2016Sci...354..886J. doi:10.1126/science.aaf6005. PMID 27789797.
  13. ^ Legris, Martina; Klose, Cornelia; Burgie, E. Sethe; Rojas, Cecilia Costigliolo Rojas; Neme, Maximiliano; Hiltbrunner, Andreas; Wigge, Philip A.; Schäfer, Eberhard; Vierstra, Richard D.; Casal, Jorge J. (2016). "Phytochrome B integrates light and temperature signals in Arabidopsis". Science. 354 (6314): 897–900. Bibcode:2016Sci...354..897L. doi:10.1126/science.aaf5656. hdl:11336/25099. PMID 27789798.
  14. ^ Kircher, Stefan; Kozma-Bognar, Laszlo; Kim, Lana; Adam, Eva; Harter, Klaus; Schäfer, Eberhard; Nagy, Ferenc (1999). "Light Quality–Dependent Nuclear Import of the Plant Photoreceptors Phytochrome a and B". The Plant Cell. 11 (8): 1445–1456. Bibcode:1999PlanC..11.1445K. doi:10.1105/tpc.11.8.1445. PMC 144301. PMID 10449579.
  15. ^ Medzihradszky, Mátyás; Bindics, János; Ádám, éva; Viczián, András; Klement, éva; Lorrain, Séverine; Gyula, Péter; Mérai, Zsuzsanna; Fankhauser, Christian; Medzihradszky, Katalin F.; Kunkel, Tim; SchÄfer, Eberhard; Nagy, Ferenc (2013-03-26). "Phosphorylation of Phytochrome B Inhibits Light-Induced Signaling via Accelerated Dark Reversion in Arabidopsis". The Plant Cell. 25 (2): 535–544. Bibcode:2013PlanC..25..535M. doi:10.1105/tpc.112.106898. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 3608776. PMID 23378619.
  16. ^ Ohl, S.; Hahlbrock, K.; Schäfer, E. (1989). "A stable blue-light-derived signal modulates ultraviolet-light-induced activation of the chalcone-synthase gene in cultured parsley cells". Planta. 177 (2): 228–236. Bibcode:1989Plant.177..228O. doi:10.1007/BF00392811. PMID 24212345.
  17. ^ Rizzini, Luca; Favory, Jean-Jacques; Cloix, Catherine; Faggionato, Davide; o'Hara, Andrew; Kaiserli, Eirini; Baumeister, Ralf; Schäfer, Eberhard; Nagy, Ferenc; Jenkins, Gareth I.; Ulm, Roman (2011). "Perception of UV-B by the Arabidopsis UVR8 Protein". Science. 332 (6025): 103–106. Bibcode:2011Sci...332..103R. doi:10.1126/science.1200660. PMID 21454788.
  18. ^ Rizzini, Luca; Favory, Jean-Jacques; Cloix, Catherine; Faggionato, Davide; o'Hara, Andrew; Kaiserli, Eirini; Baumeister, Ralf; Schäfer, Eberhard; Nagy, Ferenc; Jenkins, Gareth I.; Ulm, Roman (2011). "Perception of UV-B by the Arabidopsis UVR8 Protein". Science. 332 (6025): 103–106. Bibcode:2011Sci...332..103R. doi:10.1126/science.1200660. PMID 21454788.
  19. ^ "Mitglieder".
  20. ^ "Eberhard Schäfer Testimonials".
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