Conference: 2007 Epigenetics Gordon Research Conference to be held on August 5-10, 2007 in Plymouth, New Hampshire

关于表观遗传学的戈登研究会议是当今生物科学最令人兴奋的领域之一的最佳场所。该会议始于1995年，现在是第七次会议，它因产生新的研究途径以及促进表观遗传学更成熟领域的进展而赢得了国际声誉。会议取得了这一水平的成功，通过不断提供一个独特的环境，汇集了不同的科学家群体，并通过跨越有机体和方法的界限，扩大表观遗传学研究的前沿。2007年的会议将由剑桥大学的哺乳动物生物学家Anne C Ferguson-Smith和加州洛杉矶大学的植物遗传学家Steve Jacobsen共同主持，他们都是表观遗传学领域的领导者，也是本次会议的长期参与者。表观遗传学的研究导致对基因组功能的理解。近年来，表观遗传分析揭示了一些最不寻常的基因调控形式，并迅速成为遗传学和发育生物学中最令人兴奋的研究领域之一。尽管基因组计划提供了一个又一个有机体的完整核苷酸序列，研究人员正在转向表观遗传学领域，以了解该序列如何在细胞或有机体的背景下被解释。表观遗传修饰，如DNA的甲基化和核心组蛋白的翻译后修饰，影响染色体的组织和包装。这些染色体标记是动态的和可遗传的，导致表观遗传学成为生物学中最有趣的方面之一，对发育，疾病和自然变异具有广泛的影响。已经清楚的是，表观遗传过程包括令人印象深刻的机制多样性，包括RNA介导的基因调控，DNA甲基化，基因控制中新途径的鉴定，由RNA和蛋白质介导的表达状态的遗传，细胞和核组织，以及对环境线索的反应。这些生物过程的丰富性和多功能性已经通过对各种不同生物的研究得到了阐明，本次会议以其包容性和尊重思想交流以及从各种模型系统中学习的价值而自豪。拟议活动的广泛影响：本次会议一直非常重视年轻研究人员的突出参与，因为正是这个群体经常定义研究工作的前沿。组织者努力吸引学生和博士后研究员到该领域，并促进学生，博士后研究员和新的主要研究人员的职业生涯，让他们参与口头和海报展示。研究界的许多资深成员认为他们第一次参加这次会议是职业生涯的转折点，希望通过这次会议将类似的机会扩展到下一代年轻同事。 正在作出协调一致的努力，支持女科学家，并吸收在科学界代表性不足的种族/族裔背景的参与者。表观遗传学戈登会议有支持女科学家的历史，在这个领域有许多女性主要研究者。在2007年的会议上，迄今为止，约30%的确认发言者是妇女。2005年，参加培训的妇女占总人数的46%，预计2007年至少达到这一水平。这次会议是对基础和应用研究未来的投资。也许最重要的是，它将启动这一前沿领域的年轻科学家的职业生涯。

The Gordon Research Conference on Epigenetics is the premier venue for presenting new developments in one of the most exciting areas of the biological sciences today. Started in 1995 and now meeting for the seventh time, this conference has earned an international reputation for generating new research avenues as well as fostering progress in the more established areas of epigenetics. The conference has achieved this level of success by consistently providing a unique setting for bringing together a diverse group of scientists, and by cutting across boundaries of organism and methodology, to expand the frontiers of epigenetics research. In 2007 the conference will be co-chaired by mammalian biologist Anne C Ferguson-Smith of University of Cambridge, and plant geneticist Steve Jacobsen at the University of California Los Angeles, both leaders in the field of epigenetics and long time participants of this conference. The study of epigenetics leads to an understanding of genome function. In recent years, epigenetic analysis has revealed some of the most extraordinary forms of gene regulation and quickly become one of the most exciting research areas in genetics and developmental biology. Even as genome projects are providing the complete nucleotide sequence of organism after organism, researchers are turning to the field of epigenetics to understand how that sequence is interpreted in the context of the cell or the organism. Epigenetic modifications such as methylation of the DNA and posttranslational modification of core histones affect the organization and packaging of the chromosome. That these chromosomal marks are both dynamic and heritable leads to epigenetics being one of the most intriguing aspects of biology with a wide range of implications for development, disease and natural variability. It has become clear that epigenetic processes encompass an impressive diversity of mechanisms including RNA-mediated gene regulation, DNA methylation, identification of new pathways in gene control, inheritance of expression states as mediated by RNAs and proteins, cellular and nuclear organization, and response to environmental cues. The richness and versatility of these biological processes has been elucidated through the study of a wide range of diverse organisms and this conference prides itself on its inclusiveness and its respect for the exchange of ideas and value of learning from the full range of model systems.Broad Impacts of the proposed activity: This conference has always placed a strong emphasis on the prominent participation of young investigators, as it is this group that so often defines the leading edge of research efforts. The organizers strive to attract students and postdoctoral fellows to the field and promote the careers of students, postdoctoral fellows, and new principal investigators, by involving them in both the oral and poster presentations. Many established members of the research community consider their first attendance at this meeting to be a career turning point, and it is hoped that similar opportunities are extended to the next generation of young colleagues via this conference. Concerted efforts are being made to support women scientists and to include participants of racial/ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in science. The Epigenetics Gordon Conference has a history of supporting women scientists and there are many women principal investigators in this field. For the 2007 conference, ~30% of the confirmed speakers thus far are women. In 2005, 46% of the total attendees were women, and at least this level of overallrepresentation is expected in 2007. This conference serves as an investment in the future of basic and applied research. Perhaps most importantly, it will launch the careers of young scientists in this frontier area.