Horacio Guillermo Pontis Videla, Argentine plant biochemist (Mendoza 24 March 1928 – Mar del Plata 05 August 2019)

First to report fructose-containing nucleotides in fungi (with James & Baddiley; 1960) and plants (with Gonzalez; 1963)

With N. Gonzalez. Uridine diphosphate fructose and uridine diphosphate acetylgalactosamine from Dahlia tubers. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 69:179-81, 1963

Synthesized the fructose 2-phosphate, the first ketose in literature or the first sugar phosphate with P group linked to hemiacetal-hydroxyl group

With C.L. Fischer. Synthesis of D-fructopyranose 2 phosphate and D-fructofuranose 2-phosphate. Biochem. J. 89:452, 1963

Demonstrated that the metabolism of fructans was regulated by hormone action (1965)

Separation of fructosans by gel filtration. Anal. Biochim. 23:331-67, 1968

Proposed the role of fructans in tolerance to freezing temperatures (1985) and as osmotic regulator (1971) 

Fructans and cold stress. J. Plant Physiol. 134:148-50, 1989 

With R. Durán demonstrated the existence of sucrose enzymes in unicellular eukaryotic organisms in Mol. Cell. Biochem. 16:149-52, 1977

Proposed the role of sucrose as a signaling molecule in plants

On the scent of the riddle of sucrose. Trends Biochem. Sci. 3:137-9, 1978

Described sucroglucans, members of a new series of non-reducing sucrose derivatives

With W.A. Vargas & G.L. Salerno. Structural characterization of the members of a polymer series compatible solutes in Anabaena cells exposed to salt stress. Plant Science 172(1):29-35, 2007  

First to demonstrate an invertase activity in a organelle

With W.A. Vargas & G.L. Salerno. New insights on sucrose metabolism: evidence for an active A/N Inv in chloroplasts uncovers a novel component of the intracellular carbon trafficking. Planta 227:795-807, 2008 

METHODS

With E. Cabib & L.F. Leloir. An improved method for the isolation of some nucleoside diphosphate sugar from yeast. Biochem. Biophys. (1957)

With N.L. Blumson. A method for separation of nucleotides by concave gradient elution (1958)

With G.L. Salerno. Sucrose phosphate synthetase. Planta 142(1):41-8, 1978

With A.F. Puebla, M.E. Battaglia & G.L. Salerno. Sucrose-sucrose fructosyl transferase activity. A direct and rapid colorimetric procedure for the assay of plant extracts. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 37(9):699-702, 1999 

HONOURS

Correspondent Member, American Society of Plant Biologists

His brother, Rafael Edmundo Pontis Videla, Argentine plant pathologist (Mendoza 11 January 1911 – Mendoza 15 April 1997)

DESCRIBED DISEASES

La virosis de la lechosa (Carica papaya) en Venezuela. I. Transmission del mosaico. Agr. Trop. Maracay 2:241-51, 1953

Una podredumbre del cuello de la piña (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) en Venezuela causada por Phytophthora parasitica Dastur. Acta Cient. Venez. 3(2):63, 1952

Una podredumbre de la caraota (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) en Venezuela, causada por Pythium aphanidermatum. Agr. Trop. Maracay 2(3):207-9, 1952

A canker disease of the coffee tree in Colombia and Venezuela. Phytopathology 41(2):178-84, 1951 (by Ceratostomella fimbriata)

Una podredumbre del tallo de maiz (Zea mays L.) en Venezuela causada por Pythium aphanidermatum. Agr. Trop. 1(1):13-28, 1951

El mal del tinta del nogal en la Republica Argentina. Rev. Mens. S.A. P. 27:31, 1943 (brown rot of walnut by Phytophthora citrophthora)

OTHERS

With A.E. Klinger & N.J. Palleroni. Isolation of Pseudomonas syringae from lesions on Vitis vinifera. Phytopath. Zeitschr. 86:107-116, 1976 (first report of Phytomonas syringae on grapevines)

With J.M. Feldman. A common weed, Physalis viscosa, new host for potato virus Y. Plant Disease Reporter 47:22, 1963

With J.M. Feldman. A new host of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Argentina. Plant Dis. Report 43:421, 1959