Workshop on Protein Folding Pathways

理解蛋白质折叠背后的原理仍然是科学界最大的挑战之一。蛋白质折叠问题已经研究了三十年，尽管近年来取得了很大进展，但仍有许多问题有待解答。只有在不同学科的实验学家和理论家的协同作用下，这一挑战才能得到回答。此外，现在有新的计算工具以及新的实验技术正在开发用于体内和体外蛋白质折叠的研究。将这些开创定量方法的科学家聚集在一起，创造一种新的合作方式来回答蛋白质折叠的挑战，这是非常重要的。这个研讨会将于2010年5月9日至13日在亚利桑那州坦佩市举行，将汇集一些来自物理、化学、数学和工程领域的世界顶尖科学家。他们在蛋白质折叠、实验和计算建模的各个方面都有独特的专业知识。近年来，随着高性能计算的使用，蛋白质折叠取得了进展。研讨会将讨论蛋白质折叠的动力学和热力学性质以及灵活性在蛋白质序列-结构-功能关系中的作用。将讨论模拟和理论方法在蛋白质稳定性、折叠、特定途径和酶活性方面的应用。蛋白质是生命系统中最不可思议的分子机器之一。它们不仅准确、熟练和特异，而且还具有罕见的获得新功能和结构的能力，以执行从酶到细胞骨架到膜通道的各种功能。当蛋白质折叠成独特的三维结构时，它立即开始执行多年来进化的功能。因此，蛋白质折叠是理解生物的核心。研讨会的参与者名单代表了该领域真正令人印象深刻的广泛的知名领导者，以及一些开始产生影响的年轻人。会议被设计成由一系列高度集中和亲密的会议组成。了解蛋白质折叠和错误折叠，对健康和医学都有意义。我们将向来自亚利桑那州立大学和亚利桑那大学的本地与会者开放会议，包括研究生和博士后。

Understanding the principles behind protein folding remains one of the greatest challenges in science. The protein folding problem has been studied for three decades, and despite the great progress in recent years, there are still many questions to be answered. Only with the synergy of experimentalists and theoreticians from diverse disciplines will this challenge be answered. Moreover, there are now new computational tools along with new experimental techniques being developed for the studies of in vivo and in vitro protein folding. It is very important to bring together these scientists who are pioneering these quantitative approaches to create a novel collaboration for answering the challenges in protein folding. This workshop in Tempe, Arizona, May 9-13, 2010, will bring together a select group of some of the world's leading scientists from physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering. All have unique expertise in various aspects of protein folding, experimentation, and computational modelling. Protein folding has advanced in recent years with the use of high performance computing. The workshop will address the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of protein folding and the role of flexibility in protein sequence-structure-function relationship. Simulation and theoretical methods will be discussed in application to protein stability, folding, specific pathways and enzymatic activity. Proteins are among the most incredible molecular machines in living systems. Not only are they accurate, proficient and specific, but they also have the rare ability to acquire new functions and structures to carry out a diverse set of functions, from enzymes to cytoskeleton to membrane channels. When a protein folds into its unique 3-dimensional structure, it starts immediately performing its function that has been evolved through the years. Thus, protein folding is central in understanding of living things. The list of workshop participants represents a truly impressive and wide-ranging cast of established leaders in the field, plus some younger people who are starting to make an impact. The meeting is designed to consist of a set of highly focused and intimate sessions. Understanding protein folding and hence mis-folding, has implications for health and medicine. We will open the meeting to local attendees from Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, including graduate students and postdocs.