- Email: [email protected]
ESP newsletter
Journal of Photochemistry
and Photobiology,
B: Biology, 4 (1989)
237 - 240
237
ESP NEWSLETTER Editor: Giuliana Moreno Laboratoire de Biophysique, INSEFW U 20 1, CNRS UA 48 1 MusCumNational d’Histoire Naturelle 43 rue Cuvier, 7523 1 Paris Cedex 05, France Telephone: (1)43 3 1 07 34 Fax: (1) 45 35 70 72
NO. 14 NOVEMBER 1989 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT The Budapest meeting was a great success. For those of you who were unable to attend I should like to mention that it was one of the most exciting photobiology conventions of recent years. In particular, we had the unique opportunity to meet personally many of our colleagues from the East whom we had known only from the literature. The presence of over 160 scientists from Eastern Europe strongly demonstrated that ESP has succeeded in becoming a scientific forum for all parts of Europe beyond political bounds. The amendment of our bylaws now enables people from countries with currency difficulties to join our Society by paying their dues in local currency to a local treasurer. I trust that this will help to attract many photobiologists of these countries to become members of ESP. On the following pages of the Newsletter you will be informed on other important changes and decisions made in Budapest. Once again I should like to thank our Hungarian friends, Professor Ront6, the President of the Congress, Dr. Szit6, the Secretary, and Drs. Garab and Horkay who served as the local scientific committee. They have shown us hospitality and excellence. HERBERT
HtiNIGSMANN
NEWS FROM THE THIRD ESP MEETING IN BUDAPEST The Third Congress of ESP in Budapest ended on September 1st and a recap of the main events of the meeting is given in this issue. Three hundred and ninety two people attended the meeting, with a large representation from the Eastern European countries. All these scientists were successfully brought together through a varied and exciting scientific and social program organized by Gyiirgyi Ront6, President of the Congress, and the local Organizing Committee. In addition to the very interesting @ Elsevier Sequoia/Printed
in The Netherlands
238
scientific sessions, which will be reported on in a later issue of the Newsletter, several meetings were held during the congress. The Countil of National Representatives elected Tom Dubbelman (The Netherlands) as chairman and Tatiana Szito (Hungary) as secretary. The CNR nominated the candidates for the Executive Committee, which were elected two days later during the General Assembly. It also elected Paul Vigny (France) as Auditor. To summarize the Editorial Board meeting, chaired by Giulio Jori, JPB is doing very well. From July 1988 to July 1989, 153 manuscripts were submitted. Fifty four per cent of the manuscripts were accepted covering essentially all fields of photobiology and a widespread representation of European and non-European countries. The Editorial Board of JPB now includes three new Associate Editors: F. Lenci (Italy), F. Tokunaga (Japan) and B. C. Wilson (Canada). It is very important to increase the distribution of JPB, especially by increasing the number of library subscriptions. This goal could be achieved through a concerted effort by the JPB Editorial Board, ESP Publication Committee and ESP members, who are invited to develop new institutional subscriptions. This action is particularly timely since JPB will be published at a monthly rate starting on October 1989. The publication of the proceedings of the congress was discussed by the Publication Committee (Johan Moan, chairman). The Proceedings will be entitled “Light in Biology and Medicine” (Vol. 2, Editors R. H. Douglas, J. Moan and G. Ronto). During the General Assembly, reports of these meetings were given and the new board of the Executive Committee was elected. The new members are Wilhelm Nultsch (F.R.G.), President Elect, Alessandra Andreoni (Italy), Secretary, and Gyorgyi Ronto (Hungary), Officer. Rex Tyrrell was re-elected as treasurer. For 1993, it has been proposed that elections be carried out by mail ballot. The financial status of ESP between October 1988 and August 1989 was presented by Rex Tyrrell. The positive financial balance of the Society has been consolidated and it is essential that this trend should continue as the activities of the Society and its Journal expand. Travel grants were awarded to four students to enable them to attend the Budapest meeting. For Eastern European countries with non-convertible currency, a new type of membership, namely Associate Member, has been created with full membership rights, but receiving only the ESP Newsletter instead of our Journal. The 4th ESP meeting in 1991 (1 - 6 September) will be held in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). The President will be Tom Dubbelman. Preliminary registration forms can be obtained from the secretary of the congress, Len Roza, TN0 Medical Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 45, 2280 AA Rijswijk (NL).
Last, but not least, the ESP Awards for excellence in photobiological research were attributed to John Spikes (U.S.A.) and Lhzlo Szalay (Hungary) during the opening ceremony of the congress.
239
THE NEWLY ELECTED
MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
President elect: WILHELM’ NULTSCH Lehrstuhl fiir Botanik, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Fachbereich Biologie, Lahnberge, K.-v.-Frisch-Strasse, D-3550 Marburg (F.R.G.) Wilhelm Nultsch, born in Magdeburg in 1927, studied biology, chemistry and physics and obtained his Dr. degree in 1953. Since 1966 he has been full Professor of Botany and Plant Physiology at the University of Marburg. He has been the President of the German Botanical Society since 1985 and for 8 years an Associate Editor of Photochemistry and Photobiology. His main research concerns: photomovement of microorganisms and its correlation with photosynthesis; light-induced movement of chloroplasts in marine algae and their ecological relevance; photoinhibition of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, brown and red algae and its ecological role; photodynamic action of dyes on the movement of colourless flagellates. Secretary: ALESSANDRA ANDREONI Universiti degli Studi di Napoli, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare “L. Califano”, Via S. Pansini 5, I-80131 Napoli (Italy) Alessandra Andreoni, born in Milan in 1949, was presented to our readers in the previous Newsletter (No. 13), as she is responsible for the section “In this Issue of JPB”. She is also the Secretary and the Treasurer of the Italian Society of Photobiology, and in the ESP she is a member of the Publication Committee. Officer: GYORGYI RONT6 Semmelweis Medical University, Institute of Biophysics, P.O. Box 263, H-1444 Budapest (Hungary) Gyiirgyi Ron& the President of the 3rd Congress of ESP, was born in Budapest in 1934, and she received an MD degree at the University of Budapest in 1958. Since 1982 she has been the Director of the Institute of Biophysics at the Semmelweis Medical University. Her research concerns molecular processes induced by UV light and chemicals in nucleoproteins. She is Professor of Biophysics at the University and also General Secretary of the Hungarian Biophysical Society, Vice-president of the Association of Technological and Scientific Societies in Hungary, and of AIP.
CONFERENCE
REPORT
17th Annual Meeting of the American U.S.A., 2 - 6 July, 1989)
Society
for Photobiology
(Boston,
Attendance at the annual meeting held in Boston from July 2 to July 6 reached an all-time high of more than 400 investigators, research fellows and students. The program included nine symposia, ten contributed paper sessions, three poster sessions, four special lectures and three photobiology
240
schools. Lively discussions in the sessions and in the hallways, touring of historical sights in Boston, and a fireworks display for the 4th of July were enjoyed by the attendees. A major symposium on Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and its Biological Consequences organized by Tom Coohill was stimulating to attendees from many areas of photobiology. Current data were presented on the effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer (M. McFarland), spatial and temporal variations in terrestrial ultraviolet radiation (J. E. Frederick) and the accuracy of such measurements (A. Thompson), the impact of ozone depletion on global plant productivity (A. H. Teramura), on phytoplankton (D.-P. Hader), on immunity (E. C. DeFabo) and on human skin (F. Urbach). Other symposia and symposium organizers were Photoaging and Photocarcinogenesis (H. K. Koh), Effects of Light on Circadian and Neuroendocrine Regulation (G. C. Brainard), Photosensitive Receptors (E. Lipson), Photosynthetic Water Oxidation (G. Brudvig), Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair and Mutagenesis (G. B. Sancar), Frontiers in Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence (A. P. Schaap), Molecular Basis of Vision (D. S. Kliger) and Photomodification of DNA - Recent Advances and Clinical Applications (F. P. Gasparro). Richard Mathies was the recipient of the ASP Research Award for his elegant spectroscopic work using ultrashort pulse length lasers to investigate fundamental processes in photobiology. IRENE
E. KOCHEVAR
IN THIS ISSUE OF JPB In a succinct and easily readable review J.F. Bornman presents an overview of recent studies on the effect of UV-B (280-320 nm) on higher plant photosynthesis. Most work to date has concentrated on attempts to define the main UV-B targets. Of direct photosynthetic importance is the relatively high sensitivity of photosystem II (Dl/D2 reaction centre complex, oxidizing side of photosystem II), with decreased levels of RuBPcase and PEPcase also occurring. Adaptation mechanisms which minimize UV-B damage such as flavenoid synthesis and leaf thickness are also reviewed. ALESSANDRA
ANDREONI
BOOKANNOUNCEMENT “Photosensitizing
Compounds:
Ciba Foundation and S. Harnett, Wiley & SonsLtd., ISBN 0471023087.
their Chemistry,
Biology and Clinical Use”
Symposium 146, Chairman: T. J. Dougherty, Editors: G. Bock 280 pp., November 1989. Order from: Catherine Taylor, John Baffins Lane, Chichester, Sussex PO19 lUD, U.K. Price: 832.50,
and Photobiology,
B: Biology, 4 (1989)
237 - 240
237
ESP NEWSLETTER Editor: Giuliana Moreno Laboratoire de Biophysique, INSEFW U 20 1, CNRS UA 48 1 MusCumNational d’Histoire Naturelle 43 rue Cuvier, 7523 1 Paris Cedex 05, France Telephone: (1)43 3 1 07 34 Fax: (1) 45 35 70 72
NO. 14 NOVEMBER 1989 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT The Budapest meeting was a great success. For those of you who were unable to attend I should like to mention that it was one of the most exciting photobiology conventions of recent years. In particular, we had the unique opportunity to meet personally many of our colleagues from the East whom we had known only from the literature. The presence of over 160 scientists from Eastern Europe strongly demonstrated that ESP has succeeded in becoming a scientific forum for all parts of Europe beyond political bounds. The amendment of our bylaws now enables people from countries with currency difficulties to join our Society by paying their dues in local currency to a local treasurer. I trust that this will help to attract many photobiologists of these countries to become members of ESP. On the following pages of the Newsletter you will be informed on other important changes and decisions made in Budapest. Once again I should like to thank our Hungarian friends, Professor Ront6, the President of the Congress, Dr. Szit6, the Secretary, and Drs. Garab and Horkay who served as the local scientific committee. They have shown us hospitality and excellence. HERBERT
HtiNIGSMANN
NEWS FROM THE THIRD ESP MEETING IN BUDAPEST The Third Congress of ESP in Budapest ended on September 1st and a recap of the main events of the meeting is given in this issue. Three hundred and ninety two people attended the meeting, with a large representation from the Eastern European countries. All these scientists were successfully brought together through a varied and exciting scientific and social program organized by Gyiirgyi Ront6, President of the Congress, and the local Organizing Committee. In addition to the very interesting @ Elsevier Sequoia/Printed
in The Netherlands
238
scientific sessions, which will be reported on in a later issue of the Newsletter, several meetings were held during the congress. The Countil of National Representatives elected Tom Dubbelman (The Netherlands) as chairman and Tatiana Szito (Hungary) as secretary. The CNR nominated the candidates for the Executive Committee, which were elected two days later during the General Assembly. It also elected Paul Vigny (France) as Auditor. To summarize the Editorial Board meeting, chaired by Giulio Jori, JPB is doing very well. From July 1988 to July 1989, 153 manuscripts were submitted. Fifty four per cent of the manuscripts were accepted covering essentially all fields of photobiology and a widespread representation of European and non-European countries. The Editorial Board of JPB now includes three new Associate Editors: F. Lenci (Italy), F. Tokunaga (Japan) and B. C. Wilson (Canada). It is very important to increase the distribution of JPB, especially by increasing the number of library subscriptions. This goal could be achieved through a concerted effort by the JPB Editorial Board, ESP Publication Committee and ESP members, who are invited to develop new institutional subscriptions. This action is particularly timely since JPB will be published at a monthly rate starting on October 1989. The publication of the proceedings of the congress was discussed by the Publication Committee (Johan Moan, chairman). The Proceedings will be entitled “Light in Biology and Medicine” (Vol. 2, Editors R. H. Douglas, J. Moan and G. Ronto). During the General Assembly, reports of these meetings were given and the new board of the Executive Committee was elected. The new members are Wilhelm Nultsch (F.R.G.), President Elect, Alessandra Andreoni (Italy), Secretary, and Gyorgyi Ronto (Hungary), Officer. Rex Tyrrell was re-elected as treasurer. For 1993, it has been proposed that elections be carried out by mail ballot. The financial status of ESP between October 1988 and August 1989 was presented by Rex Tyrrell. The positive financial balance of the Society has been consolidated and it is essential that this trend should continue as the activities of the Society and its Journal expand. Travel grants were awarded to four students to enable them to attend the Budapest meeting. For Eastern European countries with non-convertible currency, a new type of membership, namely Associate Member, has been created with full membership rights, but receiving only the ESP Newsletter instead of our Journal. The 4th ESP meeting in 1991 (1 - 6 September) will be held in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). The President will be Tom Dubbelman. Preliminary registration forms can be obtained from the secretary of the congress, Len Roza, TN0 Medical Biological Laboratory, P.O. Box 45, 2280 AA Rijswijk (NL).
Last, but not least, the ESP Awards for excellence in photobiological research were attributed to John Spikes (U.S.A.) and Lhzlo Szalay (Hungary) during the opening ceremony of the congress.
239
THE NEWLY ELECTED
MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
President elect: WILHELM’ NULTSCH Lehrstuhl fiir Botanik, Philipps-Universitat Marburg, Fachbereich Biologie, Lahnberge, K.-v.-Frisch-Strasse, D-3550 Marburg (F.R.G.) Wilhelm Nultsch, born in Magdeburg in 1927, studied biology, chemistry and physics and obtained his Dr. degree in 1953. Since 1966 he has been full Professor of Botany and Plant Physiology at the University of Marburg. He has been the President of the German Botanical Society since 1985 and for 8 years an Associate Editor of Photochemistry and Photobiology. His main research concerns: photomovement of microorganisms and its correlation with photosynthesis; light-induced movement of chloroplasts in marine algae and their ecological relevance; photoinhibition of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, brown and red algae and its ecological role; photodynamic action of dyes on the movement of colourless flagellates. Secretary: ALESSANDRA ANDREONI Universiti degli Studi di Napoli, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare “L. Califano”, Via S. Pansini 5, I-80131 Napoli (Italy) Alessandra Andreoni, born in Milan in 1949, was presented to our readers in the previous Newsletter (No. 13), as she is responsible for the section “In this Issue of JPB”. She is also the Secretary and the Treasurer of the Italian Society of Photobiology, and in the ESP she is a member of the Publication Committee. Officer: GYORGYI RONT6 Semmelweis Medical University, Institute of Biophysics, P.O. Box 263, H-1444 Budapest (Hungary) Gyiirgyi Ron& the President of the 3rd Congress of ESP, was born in Budapest in 1934, and she received an MD degree at the University of Budapest in 1958. Since 1982 she has been the Director of the Institute of Biophysics at the Semmelweis Medical University. Her research concerns molecular processes induced by UV light and chemicals in nucleoproteins. She is Professor of Biophysics at the University and also General Secretary of the Hungarian Biophysical Society, Vice-president of the Association of Technological and Scientific Societies in Hungary, and of AIP.
CONFERENCE
REPORT
17th Annual Meeting of the American U.S.A., 2 - 6 July, 1989)
Society
for Photobiology
(Boston,
Attendance at the annual meeting held in Boston from July 2 to July 6 reached an all-time high of more than 400 investigators, research fellows and students. The program included nine symposia, ten contributed paper sessions, three poster sessions, four special lectures and three photobiology
240
schools. Lively discussions in the sessions and in the hallways, touring of historical sights in Boston, and a fireworks display for the 4th of July were enjoyed by the attendees. A major symposium on Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and its Biological Consequences organized by Tom Coohill was stimulating to attendees from many areas of photobiology. Current data were presented on the effects of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer (M. McFarland), spatial and temporal variations in terrestrial ultraviolet radiation (J. E. Frederick) and the accuracy of such measurements (A. Thompson), the impact of ozone depletion on global plant productivity (A. H. Teramura), on phytoplankton (D.-P. Hader), on immunity (E. C. DeFabo) and on human skin (F. Urbach). Other symposia and symposium organizers were Photoaging and Photocarcinogenesis (H. K. Koh), Effects of Light on Circadian and Neuroendocrine Regulation (G. C. Brainard), Photosensitive Receptors (E. Lipson), Photosynthetic Water Oxidation (G. Brudvig), Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair and Mutagenesis (G. B. Sancar), Frontiers in Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence (A. P. Schaap), Molecular Basis of Vision (D. S. Kliger) and Photomodification of DNA - Recent Advances and Clinical Applications (F. P. Gasparro). Richard Mathies was the recipient of the ASP Research Award for his elegant spectroscopic work using ultrashort pulse length lasers to investigate fundamental processes in photobiology. IRENE
E. KOCHEVAR
IN THIS ISSUE OF JPB In a succinct and easily readable review J.F. Bornman presents an overview of recent studies on the effect of UV-B (280-320 nm) on higher plant photosynthesis. Most work to date has concentrated on attempts to define the main UV-B targets. Of direct photosynthetic importance is the relatively high sensitivity of photosystem II (Dl/D2 reaction centre complex, oxidizing side of photosystem II), with decreased levels of RuBPcase and PEPcase also occurring. Adaptation mechanisms which minimize UV-B damage such as flavenoid synthesis and leaf thickness are also reviewed. ALESSANDRA
ANDREONI
BOOKANNOUNCEMENT “Photosensitizing
Compounds:
Ciba Foundation and S. Harnett, Wiley & SonsLtd., ISBN 0471023087.
their Chemistry,
Biology and Clinical Use”
Symposium 146, Chairman: T. J. Dougherty, Editors: G. Bock 280 pp., November 1989. Order from: Catherine Taylor, John Baffins Lane, Chichester, Sussex PO19 lUD, U.K. Price: 832.50,