Conference Proposal to support FASEB Conference on Ciliate Molecular Biology

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DESCRIPTION: This application seeks partial financial support for the "Thirteenth International Meeting on Ciliate Molecular Biology," which will be held as a FASEB Summer Research Conference at in Tucson Arizona from July 21-26, 2007. The meeting will bring together 120-150 scientists from a variety of countries, who employ molecular approaches to investigate diverse biological problems using ciliated protozoa as their model system. Historically, work on ciliated protozoa has led to a number of key discoveries about universal biological processes. These include the discovery of self-splicing RNA, telomerase, and chromatin remodeling by histone acetyltransferases. Recently, the study of ciliates has provided novel insights into programmed DNA deletion and chromatin remodeling during development. The availability of full genome sequences, excellent traditional and molecular genetics, and the continued development of molecular tools such as RNA interference, make ciliates excellent models for studying numerous biological processes shared with a wide variety of eukaryotic organisms, including humans. This meeting seeks to foster the efficient exchange of unpublished research results and technical advances by bringing together investigators from different fields, who are united by their use of ciliates as model organisms. The conference will include nine platform sessions, three workshops and two poster sessions. Topics of the platform sessions represent active areas of current ciliate research including Genome structure and Organization, Epigenetic Regulation of Genome Rearrangements, Genome Stability and Dynamics Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility, and Evolution and Population Biology. The workshops will be on Genomics and Postgenomics, New Tools and Ciliates in the Classroom. Similar events at past meetings were responsible for initiation and successful completion of genome sequencing projects that have been of enormous benefit to the field. The field makes every effort to promote participation by young scientists, women and minorities. To this end, funding obtained from the NIH will be used to support attendance by students, postdocs and beginning investigators. It will not be used to pay the expenses of senior investigators (including speakers) who can pay their own way. Funds are requested to pay the registration fees for 10 students or postdoctoral fellows so they may attend the 2007 FASEB Conference on Ciliate Molecular Biology. This conference brings together researchers who study a wide variety of health-related problems using single cell protozoa as a model organism. Research with these organisms has resulted in groundbreaking discoveries that have significantly advanced our understanding of a number of human diseases including cancer and diseases related to aging.