The XXII nd North American Testis Workshop

描述（由申请人提供）：本R13会议拨款申请要求资金支持将于2013年4月13日至4月16日在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥举行的第21届北美睾丸研讨会。自1972年以来，北美睾丸研讨会一直是将基础和临床科学家聚集在一起介绍和讨论关于可育和不育睾丸的调节和功能的最新发现的首要国际论坛。本次会议的第一个目标是促进解决两个主要的医疗和公共卫生问题：发达国家男性不育症的高发病率和缺乏安全可逆的男性避孕药。这次会议的另一个重要目标是促进这一领域未来领导人的发展，特别是如果他们目前是受训人员，或者如果他们是妇女或代表性不足的少数民族。第21届北美睾丸研讨会的主题是“男性生育能力的基础”。该计划包括三个主要讲座：主题演讲，基准讲座和欧洲分子生物学组织青年研究员讲座。会议还将邀请18位嘉宾，分为5个环节。第一部分是：男性生育能力的调节和恢复；第二部分：基因组完整性；第三部分：基因表达调控；第四部分：体细胞；第五场是：干细胞及其生态位。除特邀演讲外，每届会议还将以青年研究员（在职不超过2年的实习生和助理教授）提交的摘要进行两场简短的演讲。会议还包括两次海报会议，海报将在整个会议期间展出。主题演讲拉开了会议的序幕，奠定了会议的基调。Dr. David Zarkower，明尼苏达大学细胞生物学和遗传学教授，将主持本次讲座。Zarkower博士在性别决定的分子和基因控制方面是世界领先的专家之一。主要研究DMRT1等dm结构域基因在后生动物性别决定中的作用。由于睾丸决定的关键事件是支持细胞的形成，他的演讲为第4节“体细胞”提供了基础。此外，最近的证据表明

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This R13 conference grant application requests funds to support the XXIInd North American Testis Workshop that will be held from April 13 to April 16, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Since 1972, the North American Testis Workshop has been the premiere international forum for bringing basic and clinician-scientists together to present and discuss the most recent findings on the regulation and function of the fertile and infertile testis The first goal of this meeting is to promote solutions for two major medical and public health problems: the high incidence of male infertility in the developed world and the lack of a safe and reversible male contraceptive. Another important goal of this meeting is to foster the development of future leaders in this field, especially if they currently are trainees, or if they re women or underrepresented minorities. The theme of the XXIInd North American Testis Workshop is, "The Foundations of Male Fertility." The program includes three major lectures: the keynote address, the benchmark lecture, and the European Molecular Biology Organization Young Investigator Lecture. There also will be 18 invited talks, which are grouped in five sessions. Session 1 is: Regulation and Restoration of Fertility in Men; Session 2 is: Genome Integrity; Session 3 is: Regulation of Gene Expression; Session 4 is: Somatic Cells; and Session 5 is: Stem Cells and Their Niche. In addition to the invited talks, each session will end with two short talks from abstracts that are submitted by young investigators (trainees and Assistant Professors who have been in rank for no more than 2 years.) The meeting also includes two poster sessions, and the posters will remain on display throughout the meeting. The keynote address begins the meeting and sets its tone. Dr. David Zarkower, Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics at the University of Minnesota, will present this lecture. Dr. Zarkower is one of the world's leading experts in the molecular and genetic control of sex determination. His research focuses on the function of DMRT1 and other DM-domain genes in sex determination of metazoans. As the key event in testis determination is the formation of Sertoli cells, his talk provides a foundation for Session 4, "Somatic Cells." Additionally, recent evidence indicates that mutations in the DMRT1 gene cause testicular cancer, a subject that is addressed in Session 2. The benchmark lecture highlights major advances in our understanding of testis regulation that are achieved through use of state-of-the-art technologies. Dr. Michael Griswold, Regents Professor, Washington State University, will present a genome-wide perspective on the regulation of spermatogenesis. Dr. Griswold pioneered the use of microarrays in the study of spermatogenesis and is now applying deep sequencing for a more detailed view of the changes in gene expression during male germ cell development. His talk will provide a foundation for Session 3. Dr. Antoine Peters of the Friedrich Miescher Institute will present The European Molecular Biology Organization Young Investigator Lecture. This lecture will address the epigenetic regulation of germ cell development, a topic that is also addressed in Session 3. A notable aspect of the program is the topic of Session 1, Regulation and Restoration of Fertility in Men. The Program Committee decided to begin with this topic in order to stimulate discussion throughout the meeting on the translation of basic studies in testis regulation and function to the treatment of infertile men and the development of male contraceptives. Presentations in the subsequent four sessions complement those in Session 1. In this application, we request funds to partially defray the cost of attendance of the 10 young investigators whose abstracts will be selected for short platform talks. The rest of the funds will defray part of the housing costs for the 20 distinguished scientists who have been invited to speak at this meeting.