Conference on Specificity and Crosstalk in Plant Signal Transduction being held on January 22 - 27 2002: in Tahoe City, California.

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Signal transduction networks are essential in eukaryotes, allowing cells to perceive andrespond to continuous changes in extracellular conditions. Multiple signaling pathwaysco-exist in individual cells controlling essential responses, including hormone signaling,mitogenesis and apoptosis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which signalingpathways cross talk with one another or by which specificity is conferred within a complexsignaling network is an area of present intensive research in eukaryotic biology. It haslong been recognized that most aspects of plant growth and development are regulated bynetworks of signaling mechanisms rather than linear signal transduction pathways.Furthermore, most plant cells express receptors for the six major classes of planthormones and additional light and pathogen responsive receptors and need to process eachpathway, while also making use of cross talk among these pathways. Recentinterdisciplinary studies using new genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches have ledto rapid and accelerating progress in understanding mechanisms that mediate cross talk andspecificity in plant signal transduction.Hormones, light, pathogens and stress stimuli trigger signal transduction cascades thatare essential for growth, development and survival of plants. The Keystone Symposium onSpecificity and Cross Talk in Plant Signal Transduction will be focused on presentationson newly recognized reception and transduction mechanisms in these responses. Theorganizers have set up important avenues that will ensure diversity among presenters atthe conference and are requesting funds, that will enable travel support for graduatestudents, post doctoral associates and selected speakers, towards achieving the goal ofdiversity and multidisciplinarity. The goal of the meeting will be to highlight majoradvances in this rapidly moving field and to synthesize an integrated understanding ofwhich mechanisms mediate cross talk among pathways and which mechanisms allow specificmodulation of plant growth and developmental responses. Understanding of these mechanismsis essential for manipulation of plant growth and development and for developing newbiotechnological applications, that will ultimately benefit human health.