Maarten Chrispeels
Maarten Chrispeels (born February 10, 1938) is a Belgian-American plant biologist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego.[1] He is known for his research on the biosynthesis of storage proteins in legume seeds and for the discovery of water channel proteins (aquaporins) in plants.[2] He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1996.[3] He is an inaugural fellow of American Society of Plant Biologists.[4] He was awarded Guggenheim Fellowships in 1973.
Early life and education
[edit]He was born in Kortenberg, Belgium.[5] He studied at the Faculty of Agriculture in Ghent, graduating summa cum laude.[6] In 1960, he moved to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Agronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[7] He completed postdoctoral research at Michigan State University and Purdue University.[2]
Career
[edit]In 1967, Chrispeels joined the newly established Department of Biology at UCSD, where he remained for over four decades.[3] His early research focused on the secretion of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins in plant cells.[8] He later investigated the biosynthesis and vacuolar targeting of storage proteins in legume seeds, elucidating the role of the Golgi apparatus in protein trafficking.[9] His work contributed to the understanding of how proteins are modified and transported within plant cells.[3] Chrispeels' laboratory was among the first to use transgenic plants to study protein targeting.[8] While researching vacuolar transport signals, he and his colleagues identified aquaporins, membrane proteins that facilitate water movement across cell membranes, a discovery that advanced the field of plant-water relations.[10]
From 1996 to 2006, he served as director of the San Diego Center for Molecular Agriculture at UCSD.[3] For 12 years (1999-2011) he served as an advisor to the President of Chile on the Millennium Science Initiative Program and was elected as a foreign correspondent of the Academia Chilena de Ciencias.[11] He was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa degree by the University of Guelph, Canada.[12]
Chrispeels co-founded two biotechnology companies. Phylogix, aimed at developing radioprotective agents for stem cells, ceased operations following funding withdrawal.[7] In 2010, he co-founded Arterra Bioscience with Gabriella Colucci in Italy.[13] The company focused on plant-based skincare products. After Arterra's IPO in 2021,[14] Chrispeels sold his shares and donated the proceeds to establish an endowed professorship in plant biology at UCSD.[15]
Research
[edit]In the 1980s, Chrispeels collaborated with researchers in Australia and the United States to develop insect-resistant transgenic crops.[16] His work on expressing a bean-derived alpha-amylase inhibitor in peas rendered them resistant to the pea bruchid beetle, marking one of the earliest successful uses of genetic engineering for pest resistance in seeds.[17]
Chrispeels has been an advocate for the use of biotechnology in addressing global food security and environmental sustainability.[18] He has emphasized the potential of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to contribute to sustainable agriculture by enhancing crop yields,[19] improving resistance to pests and environmental stressors, and reducing the reliance on chemical inputs such as pesticides and herbicides.[20]
Chrispeels co-authored the textbook Plants, Genes and Crop Biotechnology and produced educational materials translated into multiple languages.[21]
Selected bibliography
[edit]- Martínez, Immaculada M.; Chrispeels, Maarten J. (2003-02-01). "Genomic Analysis of the Unfolded Protein Response in Arabidopsis Shows Its Connection to Important Cellular Processes[W]". The Plant Cell. 15 (2): 561–576. Bibcode:2003PlanC..15..561M. doi:10.1105/tpc.007609. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 141221. PMID 12566592.
- Apone, Fabio; Alyeshmerni, Nicole; Wiens, Kathryn; Chalmers, Derek; Chrispeels, Maarten J.; Colucci, Gabriella (2003-10-01). "The G-Protein-Coupled Receptor GCR1 Regulates DNA Synthesis through Activation of Phosphatidylinositol-Specific Phospholipase C". Plant Physiology. 133 (2): 571–579. doi:10.1104/pp.103.026005. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 219033. PMID 12972659.
- Apone, Fabio; Alyeshmerni, Nicole; Wiens, Kathryn; Chalmers, Derek; Chrispeels, Maarten J.; Colucci, Gabriella (2003-10-01). "The G-Protein-Coupled Receptor GCR1 Regulates DNA Synthesis through Activation of Phosphatidylinositol-Specific Phospholipase C". Plant Physiology. 133 (2): 571–579. doi:10.1104/pp.103.026005. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 219033. PMID 12972659.
- Aroca, Ricardo; Amodeo, Gabriela; Fernández-Illescas, Silvia; Herman, Eliot M.; Chaumont, François; Chrispeels, Maarten J. (January 2005). "The role of aquaporins and membrane damage in chilling and hydrogen peroxide induced changes in the hydraulic conductance of maize roots". Plant Physiology. 137 (1): 341–353. doi:10.1104/pp.104.051045. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 548864. PMID 15591439.
- Chrispeels, Maarten J.; Varner, J. E. (1967-03-01). "Gibberellic Acid-Enhanced Synthesis and Release of α-Amylase and Ribonuclease by Isolated Barley and Aleurone Layers". Plant Physiology. 42 (3): 398–406. doi:10.1104/pp.42.3.398. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 1086548. PMID 16656517.
- Chrispeels, M J (1976). "Biosynthesis, Intracellular Transport, and Secretion of Extracellular Macromolecules". Annual Review of Plant Physiology. 27 (1): 19–38. doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.27.060176.000315. ISSN 0066-4294.
- Greenwood, J. S.; Chrispeels, M. J. (September 1985). "Correct targeting of the bean storage protein phaseolin in the seeds of transformed tobacco". Plant Physiology. 79 (1): 65–71. doi:10.1104/pp.79.1.65. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 1074829. PMID 16664403.
- Maurel, C.; Reizer, J.; Schroeder, J. I.; Chrispeels, M. J. (1993). "The vacuolar membrane protein gamma-TIP creates water specific channels in Xenopus oocytes". The EMBO Journal. 12 (6): 2241–2247. doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05877.x. ISSN 0261-4189. PMC 413452. PMID 8508761.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Flesher, Jared (2009-04-30). "Sustainability and Crop Engineering". Green Blog. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b "Hageman Lecturer Maarten J. Chrispeels Colloquium: "The Use of Lectins and Enzyme Inhibitors For Genetic Engineering"". www.k-state.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b c d Fikes, Bradley J. (2010-10-24). "SCIENCE: Scientist reinvents himself for second act". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ McDonald, Kim. "Professor Maarten Chrispeels Named an inaugural Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists". biology. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Chrispeels Laboratory". labs.biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ http://aix-slx.upol.cz/~fellner/doc/VORF-Lecture_4-2021.pdf Maarten J. Chrispeels (1938) University of California San Diego Division of Biology
- ^ a b https://aspb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Legacy-Society-Founding-Members-Maarten-Chrispeels.pdf Maarten J. Chrispeels How did you spend your career?
- ^ a b "Plant cell biology research in the Chrispeels Laboratory: 1967-2005". labs.biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Jiang, Liwen; Phillips, Thomas E.; Rogers, Sally W.; Rogers, John C. (2000-08-21). "Biogenesis of the Protein Storage Vacuole Crystalloid". Journal of Cell Biology. 150 (4): 755–770. doi:10.1083/jcb.150.4.755. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 2175284. PMID 10953001.
- ^ Chrispeels, Maarten J.; Agre, Peter (1994). "Aquaporins: water channel proteins of plant and animal cells". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 19 (10): 421–425. doi:10.1016/0968-0004(94)90091-4. ISSN 0968-0004. PMID 7529436.
- ^ https://aspb.org/newsletter/archive/2016/NovDec16.pdf Roll Up Your Sleeves! BY SALLY MACKENZIE University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- ^ "Campus News: U of G to award honorary degrees, special awards at convocation". www.uoguelph.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "A story of success, in Italy's San Diego - Association des Étudiant·e·s en Ingénierie des Sciences du Vivant" (in French). 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ pix@pix.it, pix --. "Arterra Bioscience - about us". www.arterrabio.it. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ "Janet Hageman Chrispeels Doctoral Fellowship in Educational Leadership Awardees". Department of Education Studies. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Aguilera, Mario. "Chrispeels Receives Gude Award from Plant Biology Society". biology.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Morton, Roger L.; Schroeder, Hart E.; Bateman, Kaye S.; Chrispeels, Maarten J.; Armstrong, Eric; Higgins, Thomas J. V. (2000-04-11). "Bean α-amylase inhibitor 1 in transgenic peas ( Pisum sativum ) provides complete protection from pea weevil ( Bruchus pisorum ) under field conditions". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 97 (8): 3820–3825. Bibcode:2000PNAS...97.3820M. doi:10.1073/pnas.070054597. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 18100. PMID 10759552.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (2001-03-13). "Ecological Impact of GM Crops". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Cerier, Steven (2023-09-21). "'Museum of Agriculture'? Could that be the fate of European farming if Greenpeace and other environmental activists succeed in blocking deregulation of crop gene editing?". Genetic Literacy Project. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Wagner, David (2015-06-04). "San Diego Biotech Company: Don't Call Our Crop A GMO". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Plants, genes, and crop biotechnology / Maarten J. Chrispeels & David E. Sadava". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
External links
[edit]- Maarten Chrispeels publications indexed by Google Scholar
- Chrispeels UCSD Profile
- 21st-century American botanists
- Living people
- 1938 births
- 21st-century Belgian biologists
- Cornell University faculty
- 21st-century botanists
- Ghent University alumni
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
- Michigan State University alumni
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Purdue University alumni
- University of California, San Diego faculty
- Biotechnologists
- Belgian emigrants to the United States