Several "closed" habitats have been designed in the past for experiments with unicellul... more Several "closed" habitats have been designed in the past for experiments with unicellular organisms as well as with multicellular animals and plants under long-term microgravity. Some of these environmental systems were flown successfully. The bioregenerative C.E.B.A.S.- Minimodul allowed the maintenance of higher plants (Ceratophyllum sp.), mollusks (Biomphalaria glabrata) and fish (swordtail Xiphophorus helleri, cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus) under spaceflight conditions (STS-89, STS-90 Neurolab, STS-107). A much simpler and smaller system, the OMEGAHAB, was successfully employed on the FOTON M-3 flight, containing cichlid fish larvae and unicellular algae (Euglena gracilis). Further aquatic habitats are under development (e.g., AquaHab, another aquatic research module especially dedicated to ground based, application-oriented research). These systems tend to be specialized, minimal ecosystems with limited research potential. Therefore, we propose to develop a con...
Euglena gracilis is a unicellular, photosynthetic organism which uses light and gravity as en-vir... more Euglena gracilis is a unicellular, photosynthetic organism which uses light and gravity as en-vironmental hints to reach and stay in horizons of the water column which are optimal for growth and reproduction. The orientation in respect to light (so called positive and nega-tive phototaxis, i.e. movement toward or away of a light source) was well known and fairly good understood.
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
The motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis uses external stimuli, like gravit... more The motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis uses external stimuli, like gravity, light or oxygen pressure in order to orient itself in its natural habitat. In the darkness the cells normally show a negative gravitactic behavior, that means they swim upward in the water column, Many ground and space experiment revealed that gravitaxis is most likely based on active physiological mechanisms (involvement of calcium, cAMP, membrane potential and other parameters).
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
In the absence of other external stimuli the motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gr... more In the absence of other external stimuli the motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis normally swims upward in the water column (negative gravitaxis). This behavior is most likely triggered by active physiological orientation mechanisms. Recently it was found that negative gravitaxis often inverts to a positive one upon high light exposure. This response is not mediated by the photoreceptor (the paraxonemal body - PAB), because PAB-free mutants do also show this response after high radiation. It is very likely that the phenomenon is triggered by reactive oxygen species, because in the absence of oxygen no gravitaxis sign change was observed. Also increased salinity inverses the sign of gravitaxis, leading to the assumption that environmental stressors induce the formation of reactive oxygen species, serving as signal molecules.
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
To meet the todays needs for the protection of the environment from pollution through cumulative ... more To meet the todays needs for the protection of the environment from pollution through cumulative poisonings or biohazards ecotoxicology uses biotests, to determine effects of chemicals and sewage waters to ecosystems. ECOTOX is a biotest system that allows both the estimation of risks arising from certain substances or substance mixtures as well as the on-line monitoring of waste waters and aquatic ecosystems. Euglena gracilis, the employed organism for freshwater measurements, found to be highly sensitive to external factors, provides several physiological endpoints, well fitted for toxicity hazard assessment in water management, which can be characterized by the ECOTOX program.
Chlorophyllin kills mosquito larvae (Culex, Aedes) in the aquatic habitat at low concentrations v... more Chlorophyllin kills mosquito larvae (Culex, Aedes) in the aquatic habitat at low concentrations via photodynamic reactions under irradiation. The effects of chlorophyllin were investigated at the cellular level using the transparent larvae of Chaoborus crystallinus as a model system. Their transparency enabled in situ fluorescence investigation, showing that chlorophyllin accumulates in the intestine of the larvae. Uptake of chlorophyllin at room temperature took about 2 h. The fluorescence signal peaked after 5 h of incubation. Chlorophyllin accumulates up to about 15 ng per larvae. The intestine of treated larvae was dissected and stained with several dyes (acridine orange, Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide). Apoptosis and necrosis increased with higher concentrations of chlorophyllin (to a smaller extent in dark controls) and were elevated in irradiated samples. Single cells from treated larvae were isolated and subjected to Annexin V flow cytometry. The fraction of apoptotic and necrotic cells increased significantly at a high chlorophyllin concentration (21.4 mg L(-1)) and under intensive irradiation. The activity of caspases-3, -8 and -9 as well as Bcl-2 and cytochrome c was investigated by means of western blot analysis. The data suggest a possible chlorophyllin concentration-dependent shift of the apoptotic pathway.
The European light dosimeter network (ELDONET) comprises more than 40 stations in 24 countries on... more The European light dosimeter network (ELDONET) comprises more than 40 stations in 24 countries on 5 continents. The present report compares solar radiation data in the photosynthetic active radiation, UV-A (315-400 nm) and UV-B (280-315 nm) wavelength ranges for 17 stations at different latitudes on the northern and southern hemispheres for up to 10 years of monitoring. While the maximal irradiances on clear days follow a latitudinal gradient due to the cosine dependence on the solar angle, the total doses strongly depend on the local climate and atmospheric conditions as well as the day-length distribution over the year. UV-B irradiances and doses are strongly influenced by the total column ozone, which is recorded for all covered stations.
The mechanism of photoinhibition was investigated in three representative macroalgal species grow... more The mechanism of photoinhibition was investigated in three representative macroalgal species growing on the coast of Patagonia: the chlorophyte Ulva rigida C. Agardh, the rhodophyte Porphyra columbina Montagne and the phaeophyte Dictyota dichotoma (Huds.) Lamour. Dark adapted specimens were exposed to 15 min unfiltered solar radiation to induce photoinhibition, and subsequently the recovery of the photosynthetic quantum yield was followed for up to 6 h. Photoinhibition is believed to be due to the damage and proteolysis of the D1 protein in the reaction center of Photosystem II. During recovery this protein is resynthesized. In order to prove this hypothesis, inhibitors of the chloroplast protein synthesis, streptomycin and chloramphenicol were applied. Both retarded the repair process indicating an inhibition of the D1 protein resynthesis during recovery after the damage they experienced during light exposure. Some algal groups use the xanthophyll cycle to ameliorate the inhibition by excessive light. Dithiothreitol, an inhibitor of violaxanthin de-epoxidase, was administered, to impair the xanthophyll cycle. It strongly affected both photoinhibition and recovery even in the red algal species, which do not have the xanthophyll cycle, indicating that this drug has significant side effects and should be used with caution for the study of the involvement of this protective cycle in algae. Pigmentation was followed in the three species using absorption spectroscopy of thallus extracts at 665 nm during continuous exposure to natural solar radiation or radiation deprived of the UV component during two days. The results indicated a pronounced variation in pigmentation over time due to bleaching and resynthesis. Solar radiation was monitored during the experiments in three channels (UV-B, UV-A and PAR) using an ELDONET instrument on site.
Recently, it was demonstrated that mosquito larvae can be killed by means of photodynamic process... more Recently, it was demonstrated that mosquito larvae can be killed by means of photodynamic processes after the larvae have incorporated the photosensitizer chlorophyllin or pheophorbid, and were treated with light. The water-soluble substances were applied to and incorporated by the larvae in darkness. With Chaoborus sp. a dark incubation of about 3 h is sufficient to yield mortality of about 90% and ≥6 h resulted in almost 100% mortality during subsequent illumination. Temperature did not influence mortality of the larvae significantly in a treatment of 6 h dark incubation and subsequent 3 h illumination. At 10°C, 20°C, or 30°C, between 80% and 100% of the treated larvae died when the light intensity from a solar simulator was above 30 W/m 2 . Lower irradiances were less effective. The LD 50 value of magnesium chlorophyllin was about 22.25 mg/l and for Zn chlorophyll 17.53 mg/l, while Cu chlorophyll (LD 50 0.1 mg/l) was shown to be toxic also without light. Chlorophyllin, which was lyophilized immediately after extraction, was far more lethal to the larvae (LD 50 14.88 mg/l) than air-dried Mg chlorophyllin.
The effects of solar radiation on photosynthetic oxygen production, pulse amplitude-modulated (PA... more The effects of solar radiation on photosynthetic oxygen production, pulse amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorescence and pigmentation were measured in the Mediterranean brown macroalga Padina pavonica (Linnaeus) Lamouroux under field conditions and natural sunlight. Exposure of thalli to solar radiation for 1 h caused a dramatic decrease of their photosynthetic quantum yield, which recovered to initial levels after they had been placed in the shade for 3 h. Photoinhibition also occurred at the natural growth site of P. pavonica during the hours of maximal solar irradiance. Photosynthetic oxygen production was also affected by high levels of solar radiation both in algae harvested from the surface and from 6 m depth; oxygen production started to decrease after a few minutes of exposure, and negative values were found after 1 h of solar exposure. Chlorophyll a content in P. pavonica also decreased during the hours of maximal solar irradiation. These results suggest that photoinhibition of P. pavonica occurs during part of a typical summer day on Mediterranean coasts.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2000
The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) project has been designed with the purpose of esta... more The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) project has been designed with the purpose of establishing an efficient system to monitor solar radiation in Europe, in as many as possible locations. This paper describes the structure of the server that collects and processes the data acquired by the different stations belonging to the network, and makes them freely available on the Internet to the scientific community. The server is able to receive data either via FTP from the Internet or via modem and to process them looking for errors or inconsistencies. Moreover, it automatically generates graphs, Web-pages and FTP archives. The server has been active for some years in testing mode and is now fully operative.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2002
The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) has now been functional for more than four years. ... more The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) has now been functional for more than four years. The network is based on dosimeters which measure radiation in three biologically relevant wavelength bands (UV-B, 280-315 nm; UV-A, 315-400 nm; and Photosynthetic Active Radiation, PAR, 400-700 nm). The ELDONET network is currently based on 33 stations with 40 instruments. The distribution of the instruments all over Europe allows measurement of the latitudinal and longitudinal light climate distribution. In addition, several instruments are active in South America, New Zealand, India, Africa and Japan. With some exceptions, the measured yearly doses depend on the latitude. While the maximal daily doses are almost comparable from station to station, seasonal changes and the different maximal solar zenith angles account for the differences in total yearly doses. Ratioing between UV-B and PAR allows the detection of subtle changes in the local light climate, due, for example, to mini-ozone holes encountered in northern Europe during spring. Comparison of satellite ozone data with terrestrial ELDONET measurements revealed an overall weak correlation between these data sets. However, local weather conditions, solar zenith angle and latitude as well as reflectivity (i.e. clouds and aerosol; satellite data) show a much stronger correlation to the doses received. The close relationship between the spectral sensitivity of the UV-B sensor used in the ELDONET dosimeter and the CIE erythemal action spectrum allows determination of the erythemal dose on the basis of the dosimeter readings.
Several "closed" habitats have been designed in the past for experiments with unicellul... more Several "closed" habitats have been designed in the past for experiments with unicellular organisms as well as with multicellular animals and plants under long-term microgravity. Some of these environmental systems were flown successfully. The bioregenerative C.E.B.A.S.- Minimodul allowed the maintenance of higher plants (Ceratophyllum sp.), mollusks (Biomphalaria glabrata) and fish (swordtail Xiphophorus helleri, cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus) under spaceflight conditions (STS-89, STS-90 Neurolab, STS-107). A much simpler and smaller system, the OMEGAHAB, was successfully employed on the FOTON M-3 flight, containing cichlid fish larvae and unicellular algae (Euglena gracilis). Further aquatic habitats are under development (e.g., AquaHab, another aquatic research module especially dedicated to ground based, application-oriented research). These systems tend to be specialized, minimal ecosystems with limited research potential. Therefore, we propose to develop a con...
Euglena gracilis is a unicellular, photosynthetic organism which uses light and gravity as en-vir... more Euglena gracilis is a unicellular, photosynthetic organism which uses light and gravity as en-vironmental hints to reach and stay in horizons of the water column which are optimal for growth and reproduction. The orientation in respect to light (so called positive and nega-tive phototaxis, i.e. movement toward or away of a light source) was well known and fairly good understood.
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
The motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis uses external stimuli, like gravit... more The motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis uses external stimuli, like gravity, light or oxygen pressure in order to orient itself in its natural habitat. In the darkness the cells normally show a negative gravitactic behavior, that means they swim upward in the water column, Many ground and space experiment revealed that gravitaxis is most likely based on active physiological mechanisms (involvement of calcium, cAMP, membrane potential and other parameters).
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
In the absence of other external stimuli the motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gr... more In the absence of other external stimuli the motile, unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis normally swims upward in the water column (negative gravitaxis). This behavior is most likely triggered by active physiological orientation mechanisms. Recently it was found that negative gravitaxis often inverts to a positive one upon high light exposure. This response is not mediated by the photoreceptor (the paraxonemal body - PAB), because PAB-free mutants do also show this response after high radiation. It is very likely that the phenomenon is triggered by reactive oxygen species, because in the absence of oxygen no gravitaxis sign change was observed. Also increased salinity inverses the sign of gravitaxis, leading to the assumption that environmental stressors induce the formation of reactive oxygen species, serving as signal molecules.
Journal of gravitational physiology : a journal of the International Society for Gravitational Physiology, 2002
To meet the todays needs for the protection of the environment from pollution through cumulative ... more To meet the todays needs for the protection of the environment from pollution through cumulative poisonings or biohazards ecotoxicology uses biotests, to determine effects of chemicals and sewage waters to ecosystems. ECOTOX is a biotest system that allows both the estimation of risks arising from certain substances or substance mixtures as well as the on-line monitoring of waste waters and aquatic ecosystems. Euglena gracilis, the employed organism for freshwater measurements, found to be highly sensitive to external factors, provides several physiological endpoints, well fitted for toxicity hazard assessment in water management, which can be characterized by the ECOTOX program.
Chlorophyllin kills mosquito larvae (Culex, Aedes) in the aquatic habitat at low concentrations v... more Chlorophyllin kills mosquito larvae (Culex, Aedes) in the aquatic habitat at low concentrations via photodynamic reactions under irradiation. The effects of chlorophyllin were investigated at the cellular level using the transparent larvae of Chaoborus crystallinus as a model system. Their transparency enabled in situ fluorescence investigation, showing that chlorophyllin accumulates in the intestine of the larvae. Uptake of chlorophyllin at room temperature took about 2 h. The fluorescence signal peaked after 5 h of incubation. Chlorophyllin accumulates up to about 15 ng per larvae. The intestine of treated larvae was dissected and stained with several dyes (acridine orange, Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide). Apoptosis and necrosis increased with higher concentrations of chlorophyllin (to a smaller extent in dark controls) and were elevated in irradiated samples. Single cells from treated larvae were isolated and subjected to Annexin V flow cytometry. The fraction of apoptotic and necrotic cells increased significantly at a high chlorophyllin concentration (21.4 mg L(-1)) and under intensive irradiation. The activity of caspases-3, -8 and -9 as well as Bcl-2 and cytochrome c was investigated by means of western blot analysis. The data suggest a possible chlorophyllin concentration-dependent shift of the apoptotic pathway.
The European light dosimeter network (ELDONET) comprises more than 40 stations in 24 countries on... more The European light dosimeter network (ELDONET) comprises more than 40 stations in 24 countries on 5 continents. The present report compares solar radiation data in the photosynthetic active radiation, UV-A (315-400 nm) and UV-B (280-315 nm) wavelength ranges for 17 stations at different latitudes on the northern and southern hemispheres for up to 10 years of monitoring. While the maximal irradiances on clear days follow a latitudinal gradient due to the cosine dependence on the solar angle, the total doses strongly depend on the local climate and atmospheric conditions as well as the day-length distribution over the year. UV-B irradiances and doses are strongly influenced by the total column ozone, which is recorded for all covered stations.
The mechanism of photoinhibition was investigated in three representative macroalgal species grow... more The mechanism of photoinhibition was investigated in three representative macroalgal species growing on the coast of Patagonia: the chlorophyte Ulva rigida C. Agardh, the rhodophyte Porphyra columbina Montagne and the phaeophyte Dictyota dichotoma (Huds.) Lamour. Dark adapted specimens were exposed to 15 min unfiltered solar radiation to induce photoinhibition, and subsequently the recovery of the photosynthetic quantum yield was followed for up to 6 h. Photoinhibition is believed to be due to the damage and proteolysis of the D1 protein in the reaction center of Photosystem II. During recovery this protein is resynthesized. In order to prove this hypothesis, inhibitors of the chloroplast protein synthesis, streptomycin and chloramphenicol were applied. Both retarded the repair process indicating an inhibition of the D1 protein resynthesis during recovery after the damage they experienced during light exposure. Some algal groups use the xanthophyll cycle to ameliorate the inhibition by excessive light. Dithiothreitol, an inhibitor of violaxanthin de-epoxidase, was administered, to impair the xanthophyll cycle. It strongly affected both photoinhibition and recovery even in the red algal species, which do not have the xanthophyll cycle, indicating that this drug has significant side effects and should be used with caution for the study of the involvement of this protective cycle in algae. Pigmentation was followed in the three species using absorption spectroscopy of thallus extracts at 665 nm during continuous exposure to natural solar radiation or radiation deprived of the UV component during two days. The results indicated a pronounced variation in pigmentation over time due to bleaching and resynthesis. Solar radiation was monitored during the experiments in three channels (UV-B, UV-A and PAR) using an ELDONET instrument on site.
Recently, it was demonstrated that mosquito larvae can be killed by means of photodynamic process... more Recently, it was demonstrated that mosquito larvae can be killed by means of photodynamic processes after the larvae have incorporated the photosensitizer chlorophyllin or pheophorbid, and were treated with light. The water-soluble substances were applied to and incorporated by the larvae in darkness. With Chaoborus sp. a dark incubation of about 3 h is sufficient to yield mortality of about 90% and ≥6 h resulted in almost 100% mortality during subsequent illumination. Temperature did not influence mortality of the larvae significantly in a treatment of 6 h dark incubation and subsequent 3 h illumination. At 10°C, 20°C, or 30°C, between 80% and 100% of the treated larvae died when the light intensity from a solar simulator was above 30 W/m 2 . Lower irradiances were less effective. The LD 50 value of magnesium chlorophyllin was about 22.25 mg/l and for Zn chlorophyll 17.53 mg/l, while Cu chlorophyll (LD 50 0.1 mg/l) was shown to be toxic also without light. Chlorophyllin, which was lyophilized immediately after extraction, was far more lethal to the larvae (LD 50 14.88 mg/l) than air-dried Mg chlorophyllin.
The effects of solar radiation on photosynthetic oxygen production, pulse amplitude-modulated (PA... more The effects of solar radiation on photosynthetic oxygen production, pulse amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorescence and pigmentation were measured in the Mediterranean brown macroalga Padina pavonica (Linnaeus) Lamouroux under field conditions and natural sunlight. Exposure of thalli to solar radiation for 1 h caused a dramatic decrease of their photosynthetic quantum yield, which recovered to initial levels after they had been placed in the shade for 3 h. Photoinhibition also occurred at the natural growth site of P. pavonica during the hours of maximal solar irradiance. Photosynthetic oxygen production was also affected by high levels of solar radiation both in algae harvested from the surface and from 6 m depth; oxygen production started to decrease after a few minutes of exposure, and negative values were found after 1 h of solar exposure. Chlorophyll a content in P. pavonica also decreased during the hours of maximal solar irradiation. These results suggest that photoinhibition of P. pavonica occurs during part of a typical summer day on Mediterranean coasts.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2000
The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) project has been designed with the purpose of esta... more The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) project has been designed with the purpose of establishing an efficient system to monitor solar radiation in Europe, in as many as possible locations. This paper describes the structure of the server that collects and processes the data acquired by the different stations belonging to the network, and makes them freely available on the Internet to the scientific community. The server is able to receive data either via FTP from the Internet or via modem and to process them looking for errors or inconsistencies. Moreover, it automatically generates graphs, Web-pages and FTP archives. The server has been active for some years in testing mode and is now fully operative.
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2002
The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) has now been functional for more than four years. ... more The European Light Dosimeter Network (ELDONET) has now been functional for more than four years. The network is based on dosimeters which measure radiation in three biologically relevant wavelength bands (UV-B, 280-315 nm; UV-A, 315-400 nm; and Photosynthetic Active Radiation, PAR, 400-700 nm). The ELDONET network is currently based on 33 stations with 40 instruments. The distribution of the instruments all over Europe allows measurement of the latitudinal and longitudinal light climate distribution. In addition, several instruments are active in South America, New Zealand, India, Africa and Japan. With some exceptions, the measured yearly doses depend on the latitude. While the maximal daily doses are almost comparable from station to station, seasonal changes and the different maximal solar zenith angles account for the differences in total yearly doses. Ratioing between UV-B and PAR allows the detection of subtle changes in the local light climate, due, for example, to mini-ozone holes encountered in northern Europe during spring. Comparison of satellite ozone data with terrestrial ELDONET measurements revealed an overall weak correlation between these data sets. However, local weather conditions, solar zenith angle and latitude as well as reflectivity (i.e. clouds and aerosol; satellite data) show a much stronger correlation to the doses received. The close relationship between the spectral sensitivity of the UV-B sensor used in the ELDONET dosimeter and the CIE erythemal action spectrum allows determination of the erythemal dose on the basis of the dosimeter readings.
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Papers by Michael Lebert