Apoptosis in Biochemistry and Structural Biology

描述（申请人提供）：细胞凋亡对所有后生动物的发育和体内平衡至关重要。凋亡通路的改变与许多人类病理如癌症和神经退行性疾病有关。尽管在过去的十年中，细胞凋亡的各个方面都取得了重大进展，但近年来，令人兴奋的新发现仍在不断涌现。值得注意的是，这些重大发现中有很大一部分过去和现在都是用经典的生物化学和结构生物学方法取得的。王晓东博士及其同事对哺乳动物细胞凋亡模式的完整线粒体途径的优雅描述就是一个例证。结构生物学在细胞凋亡研究中的作用也十分突出和重要。本次研讨会“细胞凋亡在生物化学和结构生物学”不仅是在Keystone专题研讨会的历史上，而且是在一般的细胞凋亡领域的第一次，重点关注细胞凋亡的生物化学和结构生物学方面。我们的目标是为研究生和博士后提供一个培训平台，以吸收这一快速发展领域的最新进展，并为主要科学家提供一个交流实验室最新信息的形式。虽然会议的重点是生物化学和结构生物学，但来自更广泛学科的科学家将出席会议，以促进多学科方法研究细胞凋亡问题。会议结束后，学生和博士后将对程序性细胞死亡的重要生物化学和结构生物学方面有一个坚实而全面的了解，并对这一研究学科面临的紧迫问题有深入的了解。特别是，主题将包括半胱天冬酶调节，IAP功能，死亡受体，线粒体途径，BcI-2家族蛋白，其他凋亡途径，以及利用结构和生化输入的治疗潜力。无论以何种标准衡量，本次研讨会都有望成为近年来细胞凋亡领域最独特、最激动人心的会议之一。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Apoptosis is essential to the development and homeostasis of all metazoans. Alterations in apoptotic pathways have been linked to numerous human pathologies such as cancer and neuro-degenerative disorders. Although significant advances have been taking place on all aspects of apoptosis in the last decade, exciting and novel discoveries are still being made at an unabated place in recent years. Remarkably, a large proportion of these important discoveries were and are being made using classic biochemistry and structural biology approaches. This is exemplified by the elegant characterization of the complete mitochondrial pathway of the mammalian paradigm of apoptosis by Dr. Xiaodong Wang and colleagues. The role of structural biology was also prominent and significant in apoptosis research. This symposium "Apoptosis in Biochemistry and Structural Biology" represents the first of its kind, not only in the history of the Keystone Symposia but also in the general apoptosis field, to focus on the biochemistry and structural biology aspects of apoptosis. We aim to provide a training platform for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to absorb the most up-to-date advances in this rapidly evolving field and to provide the principal scientists with a form to exchange the latest information from laboratory. Although the conference focuses on biochemistry and structural biology, scientists from a much wider range of disciplines will be present to foster the multi-disciplinary approach to study problems in apoptosis. After the conference, students and postdocs will obtain a solid and comprehensive picture on the important biochemistry and structural biology aspects of programmed cell death and have an in depth understanding on the pressing problems facing this research discipline. In particular, the topics will include caspase regulation, IAP function, death receptors, mitochondria pathway, BcI-2 family proteins, other apoptotic pathways, and therapeutic potentials using the structural and biochemical input. By all criteria, this symposium promises to be a unique and one of the most exciting meetings in apoptosis in recent years.