Abstract
After briefly describing my early collaborative work at the University of Allahabad, that had laid the foundation of my research life, I present here some of our research on photosynthesis at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, randomly selected from light absorption to NADP+ reduction in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. These include the fact that (i) both the light reactions I and II are powered by light absorbed by chlorophyll (Chl) a of different spectral forms; (ii) light emission (fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, and thermoluminescence) by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria provides detailed information on these reactions and beyond; (iii) primary photochemistry in both the photosystems I (PS I) and II (PS II) occurs within a few picoseconds; and (iv) most importantly, bicarbonate plays a unique role on the electron acceptor side of PS II, specifically at the two-electron gate of PS II. Currently, the ongoing research around the world is, and should be, directed towards making photosynthesis better able to deal with the global issues (such as increasing population, dwindling resources, and rising temperature) particularly through genetic modification. However, basic research is necessary to continue to provide us with an understanding of the molecular mechanism of the process and to guide us in reaching our goals of increasing food production and other chemicals we need for our lives.
Notes
I thank Morten Christiansen (of Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Cornell University, Ithaca) and Sanjram P. Khanganba (of Human Factors & Applied Cognition Lab, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore) for the references and discussions on this topic.
Readers can get a glimpse of certain aspects of my research life by watching an Annual Reviews, Inc video of an interview by Donald R. Ort at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOzuL0vxEi0 (Also, see the second item on http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/; and https://podtail.com/podcast/annual-reviews-conversations/a-conversation-with-govindjee/.)
An informal account is on a web site: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/govindjee-living-legend-i-met-dr-ravi-sharma; also see https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/govindjee-rajni-confluence-photosynthesis-dr-ravi-sharma.
Laloraya (1970) wrote the following (which matches exactly with my own memory of the occasion): “1 vividly remember the morning Govindjee and I carried the first successful amino acid separation chromatogram to Dr. Shri Ranjan‘s house at 8:30 in the morning. He was in his veranda in half-sleeve shirt resting in his big chair after his early morning garden activity. He looked towards us and shouted, ‘What brings you so early in the morning to my house! Is there a fire in the department!’ Quietly we moved towards him and opened the newspaper wrapping the chromatogram on a table kept in front of him. He looked at it and shouted ‘Oh it is beautiful’ and jumped out of the chair. He held us by our shoulders and virtually had a swing. He rushed inside with joy saying ‘Wait for 5 min. I shall get ready and be with you.’ He came out dressed up, took out his big Ford car, asked us to sit by his side and drove us to the department. He was excited and happy like a child, as we were, and he made us forget that he was our great Professor with whom no one could be so close as we were at that moment. He ordered everything that we needed for research work and we were granted access at any time to meet him in connection with our research work.”
Among others, Govindjee (2000) and Shevela et al. (2013a) have reviewed oxygenic photosynthesis. A history of the Z-scheme, involving two light reactions, and two pigment systems was published by Govindjee et al. (2017). The Z-scheme can be downloaded from my web site http://www.life.illinois.edu/govindjee/ (see 4th and 7th items from the top).
On my second day in Urbana, Illinois, I went to the administration building of UIUC to officially register and to receive advance payment on my UIUC fellowship since the Government of India had allowed me to carry only seven US dollars. The clerk asked me what my name was. I said “Govindjee, starting with the letter G.” He looked in his files, and said: “Mr. Govindjee, I am sorry, but we don’t have any fellowship for you.” I was shocked and showed him the letter of my UIUC fellowship award. He said, after a brief moment “Oh, Mr. G. Jee, OK, you do have an award.” I immediately responded, “Sir, please note that my name is ‘Govindjee,’ not ‘G. Jee’; it is one name, and please put the two words together.” He did and since then I have been ‘Govindjee.’ Why did I do that? Well, “G.Jee” sounds like “Jeeji” which means elder sister in Hindi, and I did not want to be ridiculed by my Indian friends, as I was in school in India! Now, one name has given me more trouble than the sound of “Jeeji” since I am now called ‘Fnu Govindjee’ (where Fnu stands for First Name Unknown); I do not like ‘Fnu’ at all. Thus, I am going back to the ‘Jeeji’ sound, but as ‘G.G.’ for ‘Govindjee Govindjee,’ with both first and last names the same, although I will continue to publish under one name only. (My US passport and other formal documents are now under two names.)
When I entered Emerson’s lab in the morning of October 24, 1956, I was quite surprised to see Emerson cutting vegetables (including onions) in preparation for cooking an omelet, with his assistant Ruth (Shorty) Chalmers, standing next to him. He said with a smile “Happy birthday! This is for you, but I will show you how to cook an omelet since I am worried that you will not survive here unless you know how to cook, and I do want you to do experiments for your PhD.” (I was quite lean and thin.) Yes, I did learn to cook omelets, and I am here writing this article.
References
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Govindjee, Nakatani HY, Rutherford AW, Inoue Y (1984) Evidence from thermoluminescence for bicarbonate action on the recombination reactions involving the secondary quinone electron acceptor of Photosystem II. Biochim Biophys Acta 766:416–423
Govindjee, Kambara T, Coleman W (1985a) The electron donor side of Photosystem II: the oxygen evolving complex. Photochem Photobiol 42:187–210
Govindjee, Koike H, Inoue Y (1985b) Thermoluminescence and oxygen evolution from a thermophilic blue-green alga obtained after single-turnover light flashes. Photochem Photobiol 42:579–585
Govindjee, Amesz J, Fork DC (eds) (1986) Light emission by plants and bacteria. Academic Press, Orlando
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Greenfield SR, Seibert M, Govindjee, Wasielewski MR (1996) Wavelength and intensity dependent primary photochemistry of isolated photosystem reaction centers at 5 C. Chem Phys 210:279–295
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Hamdani S, Qu M, Xin C-P, Li M, Chu C, Govindjee, Zhu X-G (2015) Variations between the photosynthetic properties of elite and landrace chinese rice cultivars revealed by simultaneous measurements of 820 nm transmission signal and chlorophyll a fluorescence induction. J Plant Physiol 177:128–138
Hamdani S, Khan N, Perveen S, Qu M, Jiang J, Govindjee, Guang X, Zhu X-G (2018) Changes in the photosynthesis properties and photoprotection capacity in rice (Oryza sativa) grown under red, blue or white light. Photosynth Res (in press)
Hill JF, Govindjee (2014) The controversy over the minimum quantum requirement for oxygen evolution. Photosynth Res 122:97–112
Hirsch RE, Rich M, Govindjee (2010) A tribute to Seymour Steven Brody: in Memoriam (November 29, 1927 to May 25, 2010). Photosynth Res 106:191–199
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Holub O, Seufferheld MJ, Gohlke C, Nedbal L, Govindjee, Heiss GJ, Clegg RM (2007) Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: non- photochemical quenching mutants and the effect of photosynthetic inhibitors on the slow chlorophyll fluorescence transient. J Microsc 226:90–120
Homann PH (1969) Cation effects on the fluorescence of chloroplasts. Plant Phys 44:932–936
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Hutchison RS, Xiong J, Sayre RT, Govindjee (1996) Construction and characterization of a Photosystem II D1 mutant (arginine-269-glycine) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Biochim Biophys Acta 1277:83–92
Inoue Y, Crofts AR, Govindjee, Murata N, Renger G, Satoh K (eds) (1983) The oxygen evolving system of photosynthesis, Academic Press, Tokyo
Jajoo A, Bharti S, Govindjee (1998) Anion-induced state changes in Spinach thylakoid membranes. FEBS Lett 434(1–2):193–196
Joliot P, Kok B (1975) Oxygen evolution in photosynthesis. In: Govindjee (ed), Bioenergetics of photosynthesis, Academic Press, New York, pp 388–413
Joliot P, Barbieri G, Chabaud R (1969) A new model of the system II photochemical centers. Photochem Photobiol 10:309–329
Joliot P, Crofts AR, Björn LO, Yerkes CT, Govindjee (2016) In photosynthesis, oxygen comes from water: from a 1787 book for women by Monsieur De Fourcroy. Photosynth Res 129(1):105–107
Jursinic P, Warden J, Govindjee (1976) A major site of bicarbonate effect in System II reaction: evidence from ESR signal II vf, fast fluorescence yield changes and delayed light emission. Biochim Biophys Acta 440:323–330
Jursinic P, Govindjee, Wraight CA (1978) Membrane potential and microsecond to millisecond Delayed Light Emission after a single excitation flash in isolated chloroplasts. Photochem Photobiol 27:61–71
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Xiong J, Hutchison RS, Sayre RT, Govindjee (1997) Modification of the Photosystem II acceptor side function in a D1 mutant (arginine-269-glycine) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Biochim Biophys Acta 1322:60–76
Xiong J, Subramaniam S, Govindjee (1998a) A knowledge-based three dimensional model of the Photosystem II reaction center of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Photosynth Res 56:229–254
Xiong J, Minagawa J, Crofts AR, Govindjee (1998b) Loss of inhibition by formate in newly constructed Photosystem II D1 mutants, D1-R257E and D1-R257M, of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Biochim Biophys Acta 1365:473–491
Xu C, Blair LC, Rogers SMD, Govindjee, Widholm JM (1988) Characteristics of five new photoautotropic suspension cultures including two Amaranthus species and a Cotton strain growing on ambient CO2 levels. Plant Physiol 88:1297–1302
Xu C, Rogers SMD, Goldstein C, Widholm JM, Govindjee (1989) Fluorescence characterestics of photoautrophic soybean cells. Photosynth Res 21:93–106
Xu C, Auger J, Govindjee (1990) Chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements of isolated Spinach thylakoids using single-laser-based flow cytometry. Cytometry 11:349–358
Xu C, Taoka S, Crofts AR, Govindjee (1991) Kinetic characteristics of formate/formic acid binding at the plastoquinone reductase site in Spinach thylakoids. Biochim Biophys Acta 1098:32–40
Young ID, Ibrahim M, Chatterjee R, Gul S, Fuller F, Koroidov S et al (2016) Structure of photosystem II and substrate binding at room temperature. Nature 540:453–457
Younis HM, Boyer JS, Govindjee (1979) Conformation and activity of chloroplast coupling factor exposed to low chemical potential of water in cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 548:228–240
Zhu, X.G, Govindjee, Baker NR, deSturler E, Ort DR, Long SP (2005) Chlorophyll a fluorescence induction kinetics in leaves predicted from a model describing each discrete step of excitation energy and electron transfer associated with Photosystem II. Planta 223:114–133
Zilinskas BA, Govindjee (1975) Silicomolybdate and silicontungstate mediated dichlorophenyldimethylurea-insensitive Photosystem II reaction: electron flow, chlorophyll a fluorescence and Delayed Light Emission changes. Biochim Biophys Acta 387:306–319
Zilinskas B, Govindjee (1976) Stabilization by glutaraldehyde fixation of chloroplast membranes against inhibitors of oxygen evolution. Z Pflanzenphysiol 77:302–314
Acknowledgements
First of all, I thank all the thousands of undergraduate and hundreds of wonderful graduate students in my classes that I taught from 1961 to 1999 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in different departments or programs: Plant Biology (earlier Botany); Biology (Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology); Honors Biology; Biophysics (and Quantitative Biology); Physiology & Molecular Biology (Cell Biology); and Biochemistry; and from 1954 to 1956 at the University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India, in the Department of Botany. I give special thanks to Rajni Govindjee for reading this manuscript, and making comments on my text, and for providing me most of the photographs shown here. I also thank my daughter Anita Govindjee for reading and correcting an earlier draft of this manuscript. I am highly indebted to Lars Olof Björn & Dima Shevela (of Sweden), Radek Kaňa (of Czech Republic), Robert (Bob) Blankenship, William (Bill) Coleman, Donald (Don) R.Ort, Rita Khanna, Alexandrina (Sandra) Stirbet & Barbara Zilinskas, (of USA), Kärin Nickelsen (of Germany), George C. Papageorgiou (of Greece), Xin-Guang Zhu (of China), Tatsuya Tomo (of Japan), Suleyman Allakhverdiev (of Russia), and Julian Eaton-Rye (of New Zealand) for reading and making suggestions for improvement before the submission of this text; Julian has my greatest gratitude, especially for his article about me in this special issue. I have accepted most of the suggestions of all the readers; all leftover errors are mine.
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I dedicate this Tryst in research to my mentors: Shri Ranjan of Allahabad University, India (1899–1969), Robert Emerson (1903–1959), and Eugene I. Rabinowitch (1901–1973) of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Appendix
Appendix
I list those who trusted me to be their advisor (mentor and friend) for their graduate research; they are (chronologically arranged, with the names of countries from where they had come): Carl N. Cederstrand (PhD, Biophysics, 1965; USA; co-advisor: Eugene Rabinowitch); Louisa Yang (Chen Chou Ni) (Master of Science (MS), Biology, 1965; USA); Anne Krey (MS, Biophysics, 1966; USA & Germany); George C. Papageorgiou (PhD, Biophysics, 1968; Greece); John C. Munday, Jr.(PhD, Biophysics, 1968; USA): Frederick Y.T. Cho # (PhD, Biophysics, 1969; USA); Ted Mar (PhD, Biophysics, 1971; Canada); Maarib D.L. Bakri (Bazzaz) (PhD, Biology, 1972; USA & Iraq); Prasanna K. Mohanty# (PhD, Biology, 1972; India); Glenn W. Bedell, II (PhD, Biology, 1972; USA); Alan J. Stemler (PhD, Biology, 1974, USA); Barbara A. (Braun) Zilinskas (PhD, Biology, 1975, USA); Ralph Schooley (MS, Biophysics, 1976; USA); Paul A. Jursinic (PhD, Biophysics, 1977, USA); David L.VanderMeulen (PhD, Biophysics, 1977, USA); Thomas J. Wydrzynski# (PhD, Biology, 1977; USA); Daniel Wong (PhD, Biophysics, 1979; USA); James M. Fenton (Biophysics, 1980, USA); Willem F. J. (Wim) Vermaas (D,Sc., Agriculture, the Netherlands, 1984; USA & the Netherlands; advisor: JackVan Rensen); Rita Khanna (PhD, Biology, 1980; India & USA); William J. Coleman (PhD, Biology, 1987; USA); Julian J. Eaton-Rye (PhD in Biology, 1987; UK & New Zealand); Danny J. Blubaugh (PhD, Biology, 1987, USA); Jiancheng Cao (PhD, Biology, 1992; China & USA): Chunhe Xu (PhD, Biophysics, 1992; China); Hyunsuk Shim (PhD, Biophysics, 1992; S. Korea & USA; co-advisor: Peter Debrunner); Jin Xiong (PhD, Biology, 1996; USA & China); Paul Spilotro (MS, Biology, 1999; USA); and Oliver Holub (PhD, Physics; advisor: Robert M. Clegg; Germany).
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Govindjee A sixty-year tryst with photosynthesis and related processes: an informal personal perspective. Photosynth Res 139, 15–43 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-018-0590-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-018-0590-0