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Contact Information:
Address: Plant Biology Viikinkaari 1 (PL 65) 00014 University of Helsinki Finland Phone E-mail |
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Meet the Plant Stress Group!
We are the plant stress group of the University of Helsinki, led by Professor Jaakko Kangasjärvi and situated at the Viikki campus area in Helsinki, Finland. Our work combines plant physiology with genetics and molecular biology and concentrates on finding out how plants sense and transmit stress signals at the cellular level. The primary focus is on understanding the signalling networks involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical. ROS are produced by plant cells in a variety of situations: An active burst of ROS production is a common link between nearly all biotic and abiotic stresses including ozone and pathogens but ROS also play important roles during development. Previously thought to be merely damaging agents, ROS are now understood for their roles as signalling molecules. To study ROS signalling we use ozone (O3) as a tool. Unlike other stimuli and stresses, O3 can be conveniently used to produce apoplastic ROS without direct manipulation of the plant. Dr. Triin Vahisalu, Laureate of the 2011 For Women in Science International Fellows:
Congratulations to Dr. Vahisalu who received recently in Paris (March 2011) the prize for young talents in Europe and North America group L'Oreal and UNESCO "Women and Science." Each year this award is issued to three people from each continent. This year is an Estonian, a Russian and an Israeli woman who received this award. Dr Triin Vahisalu was recognized for his research in plant molecular biology. All the best wishes to Triin! The 2011 For Women in Science International Fellows will each receive up to US$40,000 over two years to help them pursue research outside their countries of origin. They are:
More information : - Gender and Science at UNESCO
The President Ilves of the Republic of Estonia met Triin and invited her family and colleagues in Kadriorg in order to congratulate her for the contributions she made during her research work. Experimental approaches to find new components in ROS responses:
The genetics of plant ROS signalling using Arabidopsis The ROS transcriptional response Receptor like kinases and extracellular signalling Role of ROS in stomatal signalling mechanisms The biology of stress hormones and their interaction with ROS signalling
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Photo: Andres Tennus/UT