2008 Bacterial Cell Surfaces Gordon Research Conference

描述(由申请人提供)： 这项提案寻求对第18届细菌细胞表面戈登会议的支持，该会议将于2008年6月22日至27日在新罕布夏州新伦敦市的科尔比-索耶学院举行。会议的总主题是细菌包膜和表面的结构和功能，包括细菌膜、细胞壁和表面附属物。这次会议的独特之处在于提出了一个多样化的项目，主题和方法结合了生物化学、分子遗传学、结构生物学和成像。分子微生物学的基本方面将在分泌、蛋白质运输、包膜生物发生、细胞壁、表面聚合物、细胞包膜应激反应、分裂和形状、通道和转运体以及细胞区隔等9个会议上介绍。会议的目标有两个：1)通过汇聚一批处于该领域前沿的研究人员，突出这些领域的前沿研究；2)为初级科学家和研究生提供机会，以海报形式介绍他们的工作，并与该领域的领导人交流意见。戈登会议的传统形式是按程序安排讨论会议，并在下午和晚上提供非正式聚会的机会，这传达了一种与会者之间很容易进行互动的大学氛围。虽然所介绍的科学本质上是基础的，但这次多方面会议的主题在发病机制、抗生素作用和耐药性以及宿主-微生物相互作用等领域对生物医学界具有实际意义，因为这些现象中的许多涉及膜、细胞壁或细胞表面的过程。因此，这项建议与NIH和过敏和传染病研究所支持新出现的传染病、耐药性、新抗生素的开发和生物恐怖主义的研究的使命有关。细菌表面和包膜的过程在细菌与其宿主之间的相互作用中起着基本的作用，例如分泌毒素、适应宿主环境和对抗生素的耐药性。在当前生物恐怖主义威胁和抗药性生物增加的公共卫生环境中，了解这些过程的分子基础至关重要。细菌细胞表面戈登会议促进了信息和思想的交流，从而促进了这些研究工作的成功。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks support for the 18th Bacterial Cell Surfaces Gordon Conference, to be held from June 22 - 27, 2008, at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. The overall theme of the meeting is the structure and function of bacterial envelopes and surfaces, including bacterial membranes, cell walls, and surface appendages. The uniqueness of this conference is to present a diverse program in topics and approaches combining biochemistry, molecular genetics, structural biology, and imaging. Fundamental aspects of molecular microbiology will be presented in 9 sessions on secretion, protein traffic, envelope biogenesis, cell walls, surface polymers, cell envelope stress response, division and shape, channels and transporters, and cellular compartmentalization. The objectives of the Conference are two-fold: 1) to highlight cutting-edge research in these areas by bringing together a collection of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and 2) by providing opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. The traditional format of the Gordon Conference, with programmed discussion sessions and opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, conveys a collegial atmosphere where interactions between attendees are easily attained. Although the science presented is basic in nature, the topics of this multi-faceted conference are of practical interest to the biomedical community in the areas of pathogenesis, antibiotic action and resistance, and host-microbe interactions, as many of these phenomena involve processes at the level of membranes, cell walls or cell surface. Therefore, this proposal is relevant to the mission of the NIH and the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support research in emerging infectious diseases, drug-resistance, development of new antibiotics and bioterrorism. Processes at the bacterial surface and envelope play fundamental roles in the interplay between bacteria and their human hosts, for example for the secretion of toxins, adaptation to host environments and resistance to antibiotics. In the current public health climate of bioterrorism threats and increased drug-resistant organisms, understanding the molecular basis of these processes is of vital importance. Success in these research endeavors is enhanced by the exchange of information and ideas promoted by the Bacterial Cell Surfaces Gordon Conference.