Workshop on: Evolutionary Immunobiology: New Approaches, New Paradigms to be held on February 21-22, 2002 in Charleston, South Carolina

比较免疫学的核心问题是免疫机制是如何进化的。它们如何改变和适应动物所占据的许多不同环境中存在的各种微生物挑战？动物生命的巨大多样性本身就对这类研究提出了巨大的挑战。虽然调查所有动物的免疫系统显然是不可能的（实际上是适得其反的），但我们是否因为研究相对较少的物种而严重限制了我们的知识呢？我们是否忽略了动物免疫系统的重要方面？本次研讨会将讨论进化免疫生物学的现状和潜在的未来发展，同时处理以下两个问题。首先，是否存在模式物种，在提供易于实验操作和/或潜在经济重要性的同时，占据关键的系统发育位置？第二，所选择的模式物种是否可以用来建立范式（相当于罗塞塔石碑），通过这些范式，其他物种的进化和免疫过程可以被解释？此外，拟议的讲习班的最后一届会议将讨论从进化免疫生物学概念到理解和管理影响和改变生态系统的传染病问题的应用。生物学正在经历一场革命，这是由于全基因组方法在理解生物体方面的应用。那些已经完成或即将完成的项目（包括人类、小鼠、果蝇、秀丽隐杆线虫、河豚、斑马鱼）的结果已经证明了基因组学在解决遗传学和分子细胞生物学问题方面的非凡力量。基因组学方法可以产生关于一个物种的详细信息，回答问题并以惊人的速度产生新的假设。然而，从基因组方法中获得的进步可以远远超出对任何给定物种中存在的基因的简单分析，以及对这些基因表达控制的理解。例如，我们现在有机会通过比较完整基因组来研究进化过程。此外，随着组织模式在整个基因组水平上变得明显，我们将能够从对有利的关键物种的发现中有效地推断，对其他研究不那么深入的物种做出新的和可测试的预测。本次研讨会的主要主题是基因组学在进化免疫生物学领域的实际和潜在影响。

The central question of Comparative Immunology is how immune mechanisms have evolved. How do they change and adapt in response to the diverse microbial challenges present in the many and different environments that are occupied by animals? The tremendous diversity of animal life poses, in itself, a great challenge to such studies. Although it is clearly impossible (indeed counterproductive) to investigate the immune system of all animals, are we seriously restricting our knowledge by studying relatively few species? Are we missing important aspects of the diverse immune systems that function so effectively in animals? This workshop will discuss the current status and potential future developments of evolutionary immunobiology while coming to grips with the following two issues. First, are there model species that, while offering ease of experimental manipulation and/or potential economic importance, occupy key phylogenetic positions? Second, can the chosen model species be used to establish paradigms (the equivalent of the Rosetta Stone) through which evolutionary and immunological processes in other species can be interpreted? In addition, the final session of the proposed Workshop will deal with the application of concepts from evolutionary immunobiology to understanding and managing problems of infectious diseases that affect and alter ecosystems. Biology is going through a revolution resulting from the application of genome-wide approaches to understanding organisms. Results from those projects which have been, or are about to be, accomplished (including human, mouse, Drosophila, C. elegans, pufferfish, zebrafish) have demonstrated the extraordinary power of genomics to contribute to the solution of problems in genetics, and molecular cell biology. Genomic approaches yield detailed information about a species, answering questions and generating new hypotheses at a remarkable rate. Yet the advances to be gained from genomic approaches can go far beyond simple analyses of the genes present in any given species, and an understanding of the control of expression of those genes. For example, we now have opportunities to study evolutionary processes through comparisons between complete genomes. In addition, as patterns of organization become apparent at the level of the whole genome, we will be able to extrapolate efficiently and effectively from the findings in favored key species, to make novel and testable predictions about other species that have been studied less intensively. This workshop has, as a major theme, the actual and potential impact of genomics on the field of evolutionary immunobiology.