Plant Sulfur Network ©2008 (l.j.de.kok@rug.nl)
Moderators of the Plant Sulfur Network:
Sara Amâncio, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisbon, Portugal ( samport@isa.utl.pt )
Luit J. De Kok, University of Groningen, The Netherlands ( l.j.de.kok@rug.nl )
Silvia Haneklaus, FAL, Braunschweig, Germany ( silvia.haneklaus@fal.de )
Malcolm J. Hawkesford, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, U.K. ( malcolm.hawkesford@bbsrc.ac.uk )
Holger Hesse, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Golm, Germany ( hesse@mpimp-golm.mpg.de )
Rainer Höfgen, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Golm, Germany ( hoefgen@mpimp-golm.mpg.de )
Stanislav Kopriva, John Innes Centre, Norwich, U.K. ( stanislav.kopriva@bbsrc.ac.uk )
Ewald Schnug, FAL, Braunschweig, Germany ( ewald.schnug@fal.de )
Agnieszka Sirko, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Warsaw, Poland ( asirko@ibb.waw.pl )
Sulfur is an important nutrient for plant growth and health. Optimizing its assimilation into the many compounds involved in specific aspects of metabolism as well as coordinating its incorporation into amino acids and proteins by balancing availability and sink demands requires a complex network of interacting aspects of plant metabolism. Furthermore sulfur pools are managed, mobilized and distributed through development to optimize fecundity. Understanding the underlying mechanisms at the gene, cellular and whole plant level may enable us to produce crops with improved quality and resistance to stress. As a paradigm for nutritional management, ideas concerning sulfur fertilizers and their efficient use may be helpful for optimizing fertilizer use efficiency in general.
The Plant Sulfur Network is the follow-up of COST Action 829 on “Fundamental, Agronomical and Environmental Aspects of Sulfur Nutrition and Assimilation in Plants”, which was initiated to coordinate European research on plant sulfur metabolism order to strengthen European research on agrobiology and active during the period 1997 - 2003. This Action was initiated and coordinated by Luit J. De Kok (chairman) and Ineke Stulen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, Christian Brunold, University of Bern, Switzerland, Dieter Grill, University of Graz, Austria, Malcolm J. Hawkesford, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, U.K. and Ewald Schnug, FAL, Braunschweig, Germany. In COST Action 829, the knowledge on the molecular/biochemical, physiological, agronomical and environmental aspects of sulfur uptake and utilization by plants has been integrated. The Action has resulted in a close cooperation between more than 50 European research groups, providing expertise from different disciplines in plant research. Research topics in this multidisciplinary research project were to evaluate: i) The regulatory aspects of sulfur uptake and assimilation in plants in relation to the metabolic need for growth. ii)The interaction of pedospheric and atmospheric sulfur nutrition in plants. iii) The route and efficiency of uptake and metabolism of various forms of sulfur-containing fertilizers by plants. iv) Plant sulfur metabolism and food quality. v) The relation between plant sulfur status and its resistance to environmental stress and pests. A short description of the research topics of the participating groups has been published in a special journal issue: De Kok, L.J., C. Brunold, Grill, D., Hawkesford, M.J., Schnug, E. and Stulen, I. 2000. Plant Sulfur Research in Europe: COST Action 829; Fundamental, Agronomical and Environmental Aspects of Sulfur Nutrition and Assimilation in Plants. Landbauforschung Völkenrode: Sonderheft 218, FAL, Braunschweig, ISBN 3-933140-40-4.
The aim of the current Plant Sulfur Network is to broaden, to integrate and to further strengthening research on "Managing Sulfur Metabolism in Plants", "Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems" and "Food Quality and Safety". This is be implemented by regular scientific meetings covering different the actual relevant topics of plant sulfur research including workshops focused on post genomic technologies and plant sulfur nutrition, engineering quality, cross-talk of metabolic pathways interacting with sulfur, managing sulfur nutrition, diagnosing sulfur deficiency, sulfur in plants and stress responses, push-pull regulation of sulfur assimilation pathways, (global) regulators of sulfur metabolism, interaction between sulfur and nitrogen metabolism.
Scientist affiliated to Plant Sulfur Network:
Prof. Dr. Michael Tausz, School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne ,Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia michael.tausz@unimelb.edu.au
Dr. Maria Müller, Institut für Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Graz, Schubertstrasse 51, A/8010 Graz, Austria maria.mueller@kfunigraz.ac.at
Dr. Bernd Zechmann ,Institut für Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Graz, Schubertstrasse 51, A/8010 Graz, Austria bernd.zechmann@kfunigraz.ac.at
Prof. Dr. Patrick Rollin, Directeur de l'IUP de Chimie Appliquée, ICOA - UMR 6005, Université d'Orléans, Château de la Source, BP 6749, F-45067 Orleans Cedex 2, France patrick.rollin@univ-orleans.fr
Dr. Tinatin Sadunishvili Durmishidze, Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, D. Agmashenebeli kheivani 10th-km, Tbilisi, 0159, Georgia sadunishvili@yahoo.com
Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants, Faculty of Biology - W5, Bielefeld University, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany karl-josef.dietz@uni-bielefeld.de
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Hell, Molekulare Biologie der Pflanzen, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany rhell@hip.uni-heidelberg.de
Dr. Andreas Meyer, Molekulare Biologie der Pflanzen, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany ameyer@hip.uni-heidelberg.de
Dr. Jutta Papenbrock, Institute for Botany, University of Hannover, Herrenhäuserstrasse 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany jutta.papenbrock@botanik.uni-hannover.de
Prof. Dr. Thomas Rausch, Molecular Ecophysiology, Heidelberg Institute of Plant Sciences (HIP), Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, D-69120-Heidelberg, Germany trausch@bot.uni-hd.de
Prof. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg, UNI Freiburg, Institut fur Forstbotanik und Baumphysiologie, Georges-Kohler Allee, Geb. 53/54, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany heinz.rennenberg@ctp.uni-freiburg.de
Prof. Dr. Peter Schröder, Abteilung Mikroben-Pflanzen Interaktionen GSF- Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1|, D-85758 Neuherberg, Germany peter.schroeder@gsf.de
Dr. Markus Wirtz, Molekulare Biologie der Pflanzen, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany mwirtz@hip.uni-heidelberg.de
Dr. Dimitris L. Bouranis, Plant Physiology Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens Iera Odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece bouranis@aua.gr
Dr. Iori Renato, Istituto Sperimentale per le Colture Industrial,i Via Corticella, 133. Bologna, Italy r.iori@isci.it
Prof. Dr. Mario Malagoli, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Padua, Agripolis 35030 Legnaro PD, Italy mario.malagoli@unipd.it
Dr. Danuta Maria Antosiewicz ,Warsaw University, Institute of Experimental Plant Biology, Department of Ecotoxicology, Miecznikowa str. 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland dma@biol.uw.edu.pl
Dr. Cecilia Gotor, Institution: Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC Address: Avenida Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain gotor@ibvf.csic.es
Dr. Raquel Garcia, Laureano Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Departeamento de Ciencias Ambientales Ctra,Utrerea km1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain rgarlau@upo.es
Prof. Dr. José Merino, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Departeamento de Ciencias Ambientales Ctra, Utrerea km1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain jamerort@upo.es
Dr. Luis C. Romero, Institution: Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC, Avenida Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain lromero@ibvf.csic.es
Prof. Dr. Felix Mauch, Biologie Végétale, Département de Biologie, Biologie Végétale, Université de Fribourg, rue Albert Gockel, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland felix.mauch@unifr.ch
Prof. Dr. Christine Foyer, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Agriculture Building, The University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K. christine.foyer@newcastle.ac.uk