Scientific Seminar by prof. Ykä Helariutta: “On a Two-Way Street between Arabidopsis and Tree Research”

In February 2025, Prof. Yrjö Eero Helariutta, the ERA Chair Holder of the TreeBioTEC project, delivered a public scientific seminar at the University of Tartu.

During the seminar, he presented his laboratory’s work on using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system for understanding tree biology, focusing on vascular development.

He described several key discoveries, including the role of cytokinin phytohormone signalling in controlling cambial development and callose (β-1,3-glucan) as a spacer in cell walls, which have subsequently been tested in trees.

More recently, his group began applying a genetic approach in Betula trees to study branch development, identifying new concepts that have, in turn, been validated in Arabidopsis. The seminar provided an update on both research approaches and helped disseminate the scientific foundations underpinning the TreeBioTEC ERA Chair initiative.