Thomas Boller

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Thomas Boller (* 10. December 1949 in Frauenfeld ) is a Swiss plant physiologist and emeritus professors at the University of Basel .

Life

Thomas Boller studied biology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich between 1968 and 1973 and received his doctorate in plant physiology from 1973 to 1977 with Andreas Wiemken at the ETH. In 1986 he was made associate professor and in 1993 full professor of plant physiology at the University of Basel.

Boller has been retired since 2014 .

research

Thomas Boller made important contributions to several areas of plant biology, including understanding the biosynthesis and effects of the plant hormone ethylene .

Another focus of his research is the ecology and physiology of mycorrhiza . Finally, Boller gained important insights into phytopathology , i.e. the function of the plant's defense system against pathogens such as fungi , bacteria and viruses - a field of research that is important not least for the breeding of useful plants .

Thomas Boller discovered the key enzyme in ethylene biosynthesis, ACC synthase , and the genes that code for the enzyme in tomatoes .

In the course of research on mycorrhiza, Boller's group has described, among other things, the role that certain plant enzymes such as chitinases play in the formation of these symbioses with soil fungi. Since more than 80 percent of flowering plants are associated with mycorrhiza, a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms is of great importance. In addition, Boller was able to show that the diversity of mycorrhiza in the soil makes a decisive contribution to the biodiversity of plants.

In the research area of ​​phytopathology, Boller and his colleagues investigate the innate immunity of plants and their elicitors. The latter are the components that occur in a large number of pathogens and trigger this general defense reaction. Boller was able to show that plants, for example, perceive bacteria based on the flagellin molecule in the flagella .

Private

Thomas Boller is married and has four children.

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Curriculum Vitae Prof. Dr. Thomas Boller. Leopoldina, accessed November 15, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Thomas Boller | Department of Environmental Sciences. Retrieved November 15, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b curriculum vitae. University of Basel, accessed on November 15, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Thomas Boller receives Dr. Rudolf Maag Prize 2010. Accessed November 15, 2018 .
  5. ^ Find people in the EMBO Communities. Retrieved November 15, 2018 .
  6. ^ German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina elects new members. Retrieved November 15, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Boller, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss botanist
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Frauenfeld