Ralf Kaldenhoff

Ralf Kaldenhoff ( born October 2, 1958 in Empelde ) is a German botanist and professor of applied plant science at the Technical University of Darmstadt. He is mainly known for his work on the aquaporin protein class to facilitate the diffusion of CO ₂ in plant tissue and cells or chloroplasts.

Professional career

Kaldenhoff studied biology at the University of Hannover. In October 1986, he was awarded his doctorate for PhD with the thesis gene expression falling on the initial phase of Blue Light Dependent Chloroplast Differentiation. He then worked as a postdoc at the University of Hanover, at the Department of Botany. 1989-91 was Kaldenhoff fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin. In 1991 he became an assistant professor at the Institute of Botany at the University of Hannover and habilitated with the Thesis Studies about morphogenesis under blue light in Neurospora crassa, Chenopodium rubrum and Arabidopsis thaliana. In 1996 Kaldenhoff a professorship at the University of Würzburg, Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology ( Julius -von- Sachs - Institute of Biosciences ) and moved to the Technical University of Darmstadt, 2003. There, he has been Professor of Botany, the Working Group Applied Plant Sciences.

Work

Kaldenhoff is one of the discoverers of plant aquaporins. He managed the first to characterize the function of these proteins in plant cells as components of the facilitated cellular water diffusion and demonstrate their occurrence in plant tissue. Groundbreaking was Kaldenhoffs discovery that he examined aquaporin protein class to facilitate the diffusion of CO ₂ into plant tissues and cells or chloroplasts. So that he could discover a previously unknown connection with the photosynthetic mechanism. The fact that a protein facilitates the diffusion of a gas, changed the idea of ​​the diffusion of CO ₂ in the cells of all living things. Kaldenhoff succeeded for the first time the evidence of CO ₂ conductivity of an aquaporin. He has contributed to the revision of the idea of ​​biomembrane transport.

Kaldenhoff has also dealt with the interaction of parasitic plants with host plants. He recognized molecular mechanisms that can be used to combat parasitic plants. Currently, Kaldenhoff and employees engaged in the cultivation of microalgae in large plants and their use for the production of proteins, fatty acids, vitamins and other ingredients or basic substances for various sectors / industries. Exploring foundations in plant sciences and the implementation of the acquired knowledge into useful applications for humans is the goal of the work Kaldenhoffs.

Kaldenhoff published over 80 publications, including currently interests in 5 patent applications.

Foreign operations

Appointments

Honors

Publications ( books)

Practical Biochemistry ( 2003) Thieme Stuttgart.