2009 Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function Gordon Conference

脂质是所有细胞生命的基本需求。脂质构成细胞区隔的基础，提供能量转导机制的组织，作为支持正常生长和发育的存储储备，并在细胞通信网络中充当信号。植物衍生的油为人类提供了主要的卡路里来源，包括所有哺乳动物所需的基本饮食成分。此外，越来越多的植物源性脂类具有重要的治疗应用。尽管脂质几乎涉及生物学的所有方面并且对社会具有重要意义，但迄今为止，脂质是主要细胞成分中了解最少的，并且在大型植物生物学会议上往往是一个代表性不足的话题。因此，植物脂质应该成为由不同科学家群体进行详细、协调研究的重点。作为回应，2007年，戈登研究会议董事会批准在2009年2月召开一个名为“植物脂质：结构、代谢和功能”的新会议，这是植物脂质研究领域向前迈出的重要一步。这次会议应该加快研究，促进研究突破的广泛传播，支持招募年轻科学家到植物脂生物学领域，鼓励植物脂界广泛参与指导未来的研究方向。该计划的主题和参与者来自两个小组和概念，这些小组和概念在国内和国际上分别进行了处理，一组侧重于生物化学和分子生物学，一组侧重于信号功能。会议将汇集高级和初级水平的科学家参与植物脂质代谢和功能，从而促进广泛的见解分享。将鼓励代表人数不足的少数民族参加者提出申请，并将设立一个专门委员会，帮助确定和支持会议的多样化参与。

Lipids are a fundamental requirement for all cellular life. Lipids form the basis for cellular compartmentation, provide for the organization of energy transduction machinery, serve as storage reserves to support normal growth and development, and act as signals in cellular communication networks. Plant-derived oils provide a major source of calories for humans and include essential dietary components required by all mammals. Furthermore, there are growing numbers of examples of plant-derived lipids that have important therapeutic applications. Despite their involvement in virtually all aspects of biology and importance to society, lipids are by far the least well understood of the major cellular components and tend to be an underrepresented topic at larger plant biology meetings. As such, plant lipids deserve to be at the focus of a detailed, coordinated research effort by a diverse group of scientists. In response, in 2007, the Gordon Research Conference Board of Directors approved a new conference for February 2009 entitled Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function - a major step forward for the plant lipid community. This conference should accelerate research, facilitate wide dissemination of research breakthroughs, support recruitment of young scientists to the field of plant lipid biology and encourage broad participation of the plant lipid community in guiding future directions for research. The topics and participants in the program have been brought together from two groups and concepts that have been treated separately in national and international venues, one group with a focus on biochemistry and molecular biology and one group with a focus on signaling functions. The conference will bring together senior- and junior-level scientists involved in plant lipid metabolism and function and thus facilitate the sharing of a broad range of insights. Applications from underrepresented minority participants will be encouraged and a dedicated committee will help to identify and support diverse participation in the conference.