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Chlorophyll breakdown

Chloroplast Metabolism

Chlorophyll breakdown is the most obvious sign of leaf senescence, but occurs also during fruit ripening and as response to many biotic and abiotic stresses. Our studies focus on elucidating the biochemical steps of chlorophyll breakdown. This pathway is common to all higher plant species, involves at least six enzymatic steps and converts the green porphyrinic pigment chlorophyll via colored and uncolored intermediates to colorless tetrapyrroles. Our research involves biochemical characterization of the involved enzymes, analysis of chlorophyll breakdown mutants and elucidation of pathway regulation.

Research topics

  • Chlorophyll breakdown
  • Leaf senescence
  • Fruit ripening
  • Chlorophyll catabolites

Interdisciplinary

  • Chloroplast metabolism
  • Detoxification processes in plants
  • Plant cell death
  • Stress response in plants

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Contact Person

Prof. Dr. Stefan Hörtensteiner

University of Zurich
Institute of Plant Biology
Website
shorten-at-botinst.uzh.ch
+41 (0)44 634 82 82

eligible for PLANT FELLOWS

Recent publications

  • Title: STAY-GREEN and Chlorophyll Catabolic Enzymes Interact at Light-Harvesting Complex II for Chlorophyll Detoxification during Leaf Senescence in Arabidopsis
    Author(s): Sakuraba, Yasuhito; Schelbert, Silvia; Park, So-Yon; et al.
    Source: PLANT CELL, 24 (2): 507-518 FEB 2012
    Document type: Article (Details)
  • Title: MES16, a Member of the Methylesterase Protein Family, Specifically Demethylates Fluorescent Chlorophyll Catabolites during Chlorophyll Breakdown in Arabidopsis
    Author(s): Christ, Bastien; Schelbert, Silvia; Aubry, Sylvain; et al.
    Source: PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 158 (2): 628-641 FEB 2012
    Document type: Article (Details)
  • Title: ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 2 suppresses mitochondrial oxidative bursts and modulates cell death in Arabidopsis
    Author(s): Pattanayak, Gopal K.; Venkataramani, Sujatha; Hortensteiner, Stefan; et al.
    Source: PLANT JOURNAL, 69 (4): 589-600 FEB 2012
    Document type: Article (Details)
  • Chlorophyll breakdown in higher plants
    Hortensteiner, S; Krautler, B
    BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 1807 (8): 977-988 Sp. Iss. SI AUG 2011 (Details)
  • Common functions or only phylogenetically related? The large family of PLAC8 motif-containing/PCR genes
    Song, WY; Hortensteiner, S; Tomioka, R; et al.
    MOLECULES AND CELLS 31 (1): 1-7 JAN 2011 (Details)