Intermediate Filaments 2008 Gordon Research Conference

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is a request for funds to support travel and registration for participants in the 10th Gordon Research Conference on Intermediate Filaments, which will be held Sept 7, 2008 to Sept. 12, 2008 Magdalan College, Oxford, UK. Intermediate Filaments (IFs) are major components of the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton in higher eukaryotes. In the public draft of the human genome, there are 65 functional genes encoding IF-forming polypeptides. These genes are regulated in a cell-specific manner and are highly conserved in mammalian genomes. A general function of IFs is to endow cells and tissues with mechanical resilience to withstand various types of physical and non-physical stresses. Defects in IF proteins underlie a vast number of genetically determined rare and common disorders involving epithelia (e.g., skin, oral, eye and liver disorders), muscle (e.g., cardiomyopathies; muscular dystrophy), neural tissue (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Alexander disease), lipodystrophies, and premature aging syndromes. IF proteins fulfill other functions in a differentiation and context-dependent fashion, including the response to apoptotic signals, protein targeting to subcellular compartments, cell signaling, subcellular organelle function and nuclear architecture and gene expression. This Gordon Research Conference (GRC) represents the only regular meeting devoted to IF biology. It brings together participants of junior and senior rank from all over the world, who study IF proteins from functional, regulatory, structural, and disease-related perspectives. This GRC has traditionally fostered a free-flowing exchange of novel ideas, tools and reagents, and facilitated the establishment of productive collaborations. The Program for the 2008 edition of the Conference has been finalized and will have a major focus on the broad disease aspect of these proteins, their emerging role in cell signaling and organelle function, the enlarging list of associated proteins they interact with, new structural findings, and potential novel approaches for therapy. The specific sessions that have been scheduled are: 1) Signaling via the IF scaffolds; 2) Molecular mechanism of the cytoskeleton; 3) Lamins and lamina-associated proteins; 4) Laminopathic diseases; 5) IF systems of the nervous system; 6) Neuropathologies caused by mutations in IF proteins; 7) Keratins in development and disease; 8) Muscle function and desminopathies; 9) Factors integrating IF systems into cellular physiology.