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Cite this: Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2012, 11, 613

www.rsc.org/pps EDITORIAL

A tribute to Francesco Lenci on the occasion ofhis 70th birthdayDOI: 10.1039/c2pp90010f

Since Francesco Lenci graduated inphysics from the University of Pisa, hewas immediately attracted to the study ofbiophysical processes, in particular thosethat involve the interaction of light andbiological matter. He and his group havebeen one of the leading groups in thefield of the study of motile responses ofmicroorganisms to light stimuli, with par-ticular attention devoted to the firstphotophysical steps initiating the sensorytransduction chain. In the early 1980s hebecame involved in the study of the pro-cesses of arms control, peace and disar-mament. His contribution to the growthof the peace movement in Italy has beenof great value, universally recognized andhe has become rapidly one of the leadingscientists in this field. For many years hewas Secretary General of USPID (ItalianUnion of Scientists for Disarmament), aposition that he held until he was nomi-nated Director of the Institute of Biophys-ics. In 2006 he was elected member ofthe General Scientific Committee of theItalian National Research Council, a com-mittee that gives advice on the scientificpolicy of the institution.

As a photobiologist, among otherduties, he has been President ofthe Italian Society for Photobiology(1992–1998), President of the EuropeanSociety of Photobiology (ESP; 2003–2005), Vice-President of the IUPB(2000–2004), council member of theAmerican Society for Photobiology(ASP; 1998–2001 and 2010–2013), chairof the ESP Education Committee, associ-ate editor for Journal of Photochemistry& Photobiology, B (1989–1995) andPhotochemistry & Photobiology (2000–2010). In 2001 he received the ESPAward for excellence in photobiologicalresearch.

Silvia Braslavski has known Fran-cesco Lenci since the Foundation of theESP in 1985. She notes that Francesco

has played a very important role withinthe ASP and the ESP, as an officer in theExecutive Committee, as responsible forthe education Committee and as associateeditor for the journals, but also as astrong supporter and promoter of thesometimes neglected research groupsdevoted to photosensors. She mentionsthat Francesco was a very active partici-pant and “tourist guide” during theGordon Conferences on BiologicalPhotosensors in Il Ciocco, near Lucca, in2000 and 2002. These were very excitingand special conferences in which the typeand number of biological photosensorsthat were presented underwent anexplosion and all the participants sharedtheir happiness, astonishment and some-times critical views about the expansionof the field. Silvia also remembers Fran-cesco’s enormous generosity and friend-ship by hosting several participants in hishome before and after the meetings andby showing them the beauties of hiscountry as well as the culinary jewels(never forgetting the wine!). She alsopoints out that Francesco also has beenvery active in supporting young research-ers, both in his institute in Pisa and fromhis position on the ESP committees, andhas always been open to the applicationof new technologies to solve old photo-biological problems, in particular thoserelated to photomovement of microorgan-isms. Last but not least, Francesco hasalways been very aware of his socialresponsibility as a scientist and has con-tributed to the Pugwash Conferences fora more peaceful world with fewerweapons and in which conflicts aresolved by dialogue instead of brute force.Silvia wishes Francesco many more yearsof active participation in the severalactivities he has engaged on, i.e., photo-biology, the Pugwash movement andfamily life with his wife Mavi, their chil-dren and grandchildren, and the many

friends he has made around the world.“Salud, querido amigo Francesco!”

Pill-Soon Song wants first to explainwhat go hee is. In 2002 Francesco cele-brated his hwan gap, meaning ‘returncycle of 60 years’ on his 60th birthday.Adding ten years to the cycle is called gohee, which means ‘pleasure of being old’in Korean and Chinese. “So, CarissimoFrancesco, congratulations on your gohee and enjoy it!” Scientific collaborationand friendship with Pill began whenFrancesco visited Texas some forty yearsago. In the literature and at conferences inthose days, one of the hotly debatedissues in photobiology revolved aroundthe chemical identification of the bluelight receptors in algae and higher plants.One school of thought favoured a caro-tenoid pigment for the blue light receptorchromophore, whereas the other proposeda flavin molecule for it. Francesco andhis co-workers strengthened the flavinhypothesis on the basis of a cutting edgefluorescence microscopic study of thephototactic Euglena gracilis cell. Thiswork represented a seminal contributionto the carotenoid vs. flavin debate. Thedebate ended in favour of the flavins forboth the Euglena gracilis blue lightphotoreceptor (see later) and the Arabi-dopsis receptor. Donat Häder introducedPill to the photomovement of Stentorcoeruleus, a giant single cell ciliate in1979 when Donat joined him for collab-oration on sabbatical leave at MichiganState University Plant Research Labora-tory. Then, Francesco and his colleagueswere also studying the photomovementbiology of ciliates. This led Pill to aseries of visits to Francesco’s laboratoryin Pisa and the NATO Advanced Schoolsorganized around Italy in the subsequenttwo decades. One of the outcomes oftheir collaborative studies includes thechemical identification of blepharismin,the chromophore of the photophobic

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ciliate Blepharisma japonicum byFrancesco’s former student GiovanniCheccuci.

Over the years, Pill came to admire(and envy) Francesco’s attributes as ascientist and as a mentor. To Francesco astudent in his lab is not only a researcherbut also a friend. His concerns for his stu-dents and their future careers are trulygenuine and unmatched. Pill thinks thispersonal quality of Francesco accountsfor the fact that he remains a popularfriend among his scientific colleagues indifferent countries. To Pill, Francesco isnot just a scientist, not just a collaborator,but a true friend. Now that he celebrateshis go hee, Pill wishes him the very bestuntil the next tribute on his san soo, 80thbirthday [san soo means ‘life underumbrella’, an appropriate term for thephotophobists?].

Masamitsu Wada wants to congratu-late Francesco Lenci for his seventiethbirthday! Time flies as an arrow. It is now10 years since Pill kindly celebrated Fran-cesco’s 60th birthday, kanreki, on JejuIsland. In Japan the celebration of aperson reaching 70 years old is calledkoki. The word means “few people live tobe seventy from ancient times”. In thesedays the situation has changed, of course.Many people live more than 80 asaverage life. So, Francesco is still young!Masamitsu hopes he will enjoy the next10 years not only for public service inscience but also for his own life.

It is with great pleasure and respectthat Donat-P. Häder writes about hishonour of having known Francesco Lencifor so many decades. It was in the early1970s that they first met during an inter-national photobiology conference andsoon after started collaborating. Theytried to identify the photoreceptor forphototaxis in the flagellate Euglena gra-cilis and even came close to suggesting aflavin as the receptor chromophore (seeabove). The final honour of solving thepuzzle is attributed to Masakatsu Wata-nabe and coworkers who identified thestructure and genetic makeup of a novelphotoreceptor (photoactivated adenylylcyclase) with two flavin (FAD) bindingsites. Donat also remembers with joyparticipating in several NATO summerschools and research conferences thatFrancesco organized with his co-workersfrom the C.N.R. Often these conferenceswere located in a former monastery in

exquisite tourist places such as Florenceor Volterra so that after long and interest-ing days in the lecture hall the partici-pants could delve into the culture andarchitecture of millennia-old Italian cities,followed by a good night’s sleep in aformer monk cell. Later Donat and Fran-cesco collaborated on ecophysiologicalproblems in aquatic ecosystems in theMediterranean, measuring the effects ofsolar UV radiation on motility and photo-synthesis of phytoplankton and macroal-gae and occasionally plunging into thepleasant waters themselves and enjoyingsolar radiation. Donat will always remem-ber Francesco Lenci as a noble, unobtru-sive and distinguished character, and willcontinue to enjoy his cordial friendship.

Francesco Lenci and Giulio Jori hadplenty of chances for interaction duringtheir long scientific life because of theirdeeply dedicated activities in the field ofphotobiology, often coinciding points ofview toward many social problems, and –

most of all – a very sound friendship.Thus, Giulio and Francesco collaboratedand worked side by side in a variety ofinitiatives, including the strengtheningof photobiological research in Italy, thecontribution to the establishment andexpansion of the ESP, as well as of photo-biology in countries outside Europe,through support to photobiology journalsand the organization of congresses,advanced schools, books and themedjournal issues. They both paid great atten-tion to the opening of possibilities foryoung investigators to improve theirknowledge of the basic and experimentalaspects of photobiology. As a conse-quence, Francesco and Giulio have thepleasure of sharing many pleasant mem-ories, enthusiasm for successful outcomesand a few disappointments. However, themost vivid and fascinating memories oftheir relationship which are stuck inGiulio’s mind are certainly representedby the conversations outside the scientificsessions at congresses, during dinners orpost-dinner time; the discussions rangedfrom scientific topics at large to social oreducational subjects, art and culture.Giulio could thus appreciate the exquisitefeatures of Francesco’s personality, hisgreat sensibility for problems of majorsignificance such as peace, social justiceand protection of environment, hiscareful attention toward the needs andhopes of younger fellows, the strong

motivation to start different initiatives tohelp people from developing countries,and his truly vast knowledge of literature,both classical and popular music andfigurative arts. Talking with Francescosurrounded by the appropriate atmospherehas always been an enriching experience,a source of inspiration, a stimulation tohave a positive and optimistic attitudetowards life. Giulio mentions thatFrancesco has an innate ability to identifythe constructive aspects even of difficultsituations and transmit such feelings topersons who are in touch with him.Giulio learned from him how a realscientist can spontaneously decide to usehis scientific knowledge to improve thequality of life for mankind. Giulio con-siders it a privilege to have Francesco asone of his dearest friends.

Evelyne Sage feels it a privilege tocontribute to this special tribute toFrancesco Lenci on his 70th birthday.Francesco’s long interest in light inter-action with biological matter has sealed aprolonged and friendly relationship withthe photophysics and photobiology groupof the Museum National d’Histoire Nat-urelle in Paris. This is how Evelyne waslucky enough as a young photobiologistto approach Francesco. Since the earlytimes, Francesco has been a major actorin establishing and strengthening thelinks between the Italian and the FrenchSocieties for Photobiology. The convivialatmosphere of the Aix-les-Bains and Pisajoint meetings is deep in the participant’smemory. Later, Evelyne realized Frances-co’s engagement for photobiology andhis commitment to the ESP and she wasvery much impressed by the way he ranthe society, the input he gave to thesociety, defending the transdisciplinarityof photobiology and of the ESP, and care-fully respecting everyone and promotingopportunities for young photobiologiststo deepen and widen their cultural andscientific preparation. Francesco knowsEvelyne’s strong attachment to andacknowledgement of her elders and she isnow happy to relate that his devotion tothe ESP and photobiology, his delicacyand kindness are a great source of inspi-ration for her as president of the ESP, andhis friendship a major support. “Wishinghim happiness, good health andstrength.”

Renato Benssason remembered that in1976 in Tuscany, on a hillside

614 | Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2012, 11, 613–615 This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry and Owner Societies 2012

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overlooking Florence, the Pisa groupheaded by Sandro Checcuci organiseda meeting on “Biophysics of Photo-receptors and Photobehaviour of Microor-ganisms”, at the Badia Fiesolana, amonastery built in the 15th century,where Renato met Francesco Lenci forthe first time. In Tuscany, scientists havelived for centuries amongst a number ofpersons of great intellectual capacity:Dante Aligheri, Michelangelo Buonarroti,Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Pico dellaMirandola, Niccolò Machiavelli, GiorgioVasari, Leonardo Da Vinci … and thefather of modern astronomy, of modernphysics, of modern science, GalileoGalilei. Up to the 20th century, Pisa hasremained a centre of excellence wheremany researchers of great talent, includ-ing Guido Pontecorvo, Bruno Ponte-corvo, Enrico Fermi (Nobel Prize 1938)and Carlo Rubbia (Nobel Prize 1984)were educated and started their research.Francesco Lenci used the rigor and pre-cision that he had been taught as a physi-cist at Pisa University in the field ofmicroscopic and spectroscopic techniquesto investigate photoreceptor pigmentsinvolved in photomotile responses offlagellated unicellular algae and ciliatedprotozoa. Francesco brimmed with newideas and very early expanded the pio-neering expertise to the photoreceptorsof microorganisms that were investigatedin the Pisa Istituto di Biofisica.Since 2004 he also developed new fields

dealing (i) with femtosecond studies ofblepharismins, polycyclic quinones foundin the pigment granules of the ciliatedprotozoan Blepharisma, in collaborationwith the team of Monique Martin inParis, and (ii) with aggregation processesof toxic peptides in collaboration withhis former student Antonella Sgarbossa.Moreover, in collaboration withW. H. Horspool, Francesco edited thesecond edition of the Handbook ofPhotochemistry and Photobiology, anessential reference for all photobiologists.He also organised and chaired sessions ina number of schools, Nato AdvancedStudy Institutes, Gordon conferences, andinternational congresses in photosciences.Young as well as senior investigatorshave received fruitful advice and helpfrom Francesco Lenci. Personally, Renatohad the great opportunity of being invitedby him to participate in the NATOAdvanced Study Institute on “Photore-ception and Sensory Transduction inAneural Organisms”, which Francescoorganised in Camaiore in 1978. Fran-cesco Lenci considered that scientists hadto be strongly connected to society andits problems. He fought against nucleartests and nuclear weapons, and hedefended in many national and inter-national committees the importance offundamental research and the role ofculture taken in its widest meaning.

Kristian Berg got to know Francescothrough their joint activities on the

Executive Committee of the ESP: con-gress planning, the ESP education com-mittee and the ESP Photobiology School.Francesco’s personality, knowledge andenthusiasm are a great source of inspi-ration for all around him and have madeinvolvement in organizing photobiologyactivities a great pleasure. Every societyrequires a person like Francesco whoalways is there for you, always respond-ing rapidly to your requests and concerns,giving you good advice based on hisenormous experience and always beingthere as your friend. Kristian would liketo thank Francesco for more than 10years of collaboration through the ESPthat made this an enjoyable period.“Happy birthday – Gratulerer meddagen!”

The Editor-in-chief (Rex Tyrrell) canonly echo all these comments on thestrength of the friendship and the contri-bution to science and beyond made byFrancesco and from which we have allbenefited over the years. This was wellappreciated during the hectic organizationof the Bath ESP Meeting in 2007 and theWroclaw ESP meeting in 2009. Frances-co’s warmth, positive attitude and gener-osity has strengthened us all and we wishhim good health and happiness in hiseighth decade!

Compiled by Jacques Piette (Univer-sity of Liège, Belgium) with the help ofFrancesco Ghetti and contributions byclose friends and colleagues.

This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry and Owner Societies 2012 Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2012, 11, 613–615 | 615

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