Sixth Small Genomes Conference, September 20-24, 1998, Lake Arrowhead, CA

人们对在今后一两年内比较多达15-25种微生物基因组的序列和内容，以及了解这些序列如何在全球范围内控制特定基因组的前景感到非常兴奋。 利用不同类型的遗传学和功能基因组研究来了解全基因组序列如何运作将是许多实验室的重点。 毫无疑问，微生物学的不同方面将发生相当大的整合，包括对进化和生命要求的新观点。 在生物学、分析技术和数据管理方面的经验教训应该应用于其他基因组项目，包括人类和其他真核生物的基因组项目。 大肠杆菌的基因组已于去年完成，由于对大肠杆菌进行了广泛的生理、生化和遗传分析，它将继续为原核和真核系统提供先例和范例。在过去的四十年里，大肠杆菌使其成为研究得最好的微生物，也是所有其他微生物进行比较的模型系统之一。本次会议的目标是为这些相互作用的发生提供一个定期的论坛。 为此，会议将包括活跃的基因组研究人员，如在数据库设计，序列分析或模拟工作的测序专家和信息学专家;开发新方法以利用基因组信息的遗传学家，例如用于功能分析;和细胞生物学家和生物化学家，他们专门研究基因组学领域，如代谢，染色体结构，蛋白质结构或基因调控。 虽然最近有一些基因组会议，但不断完成和发布新的基因组序列以及分析这一巨大信息量的发展势头意味着社区继续需要此类会议。 在过去的七年中，该会议已成为一个重要的定期年度细菌基因组学会议，并已确保地位和质量。

There is great excitement over the prospect of comparing the sequences and contents of as many as 15-25 microorganism genomes over the next year or two, and of learning how these sequences operate to control specific genomes on a global basis. Using both genetics and functional genomic studies of different types to understand how whole genome sequences operate will be the focus of many laboratories. Considerable integration of different aspects of microbiology will undoubtedly take place, including new perspectives on evolution and the requirements for life. Lessons learned regarding biology, analysis techniques and data management should have application in other genome projects, including those of humans and other eukaryotes. Escherichia coli, whose genome was completed last year, will continue to provide precedent and paradigm for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, since the extensive physiologic, biochemical, and genetic analysis of E. coli over the last four decades make this the best studied microorganism, and one of the model systems to which all others are compared.The goal of this conference is to provide a regular forum for these interactions to occur. To this end the conference will include active genome researchers, such as sequencing experts and informatics specialists working in database design, sequence analysis, or simulation; geneticists developing new methods to take advantage of genomic information, e.g. for functional analysis; and cell biologists and biochemists who have specialized in areas now ripe for genomics such as metabolism, chromosome structure, protein structure, or gene regulation. While there have been a number of recent genome conferences, continuing completion and release of new genome sequences and developing momentum for analysis of this huge amount of information means the community has continued need of such meetings. This meeting has become established as a major regular annual bacterial genomics conference during the last seven years and has assured status and quality.