6th International Society for Symbiosis Congress

描述（由申请人提供）：国际共生学会（ISS）大会每三年举行一次，是一个交流有益宿主-微生物相互作用领域最新进展的论坛。第五届大会于2006年8月在奥地利维也纳举行，汇集了来自世界各地的约270名科学家，会议记录发表在《共生》杂志的特刊上。延续这一激动人心的传统，第六届国际空间站大会将于2009年8月9日至15日在威斯康辛州麦迪逊举行，将强调微生物共生的进化、生态学、代谢、细胞生物学和分子机制方面的前沿研究。组委会选择了专题讨论会的主题，这些主题将突出显示微生物对宿主生理、发育和健康的普遍而深刻的有益贡献的研究。这种共生研究支持了一种新兴的范式，即宿主体内的微生物群落，如口腔或肠道中的微生物群落，是与身体其他部位交流和合作的“器官”的功能等同。例如，微生物处理摄入的物质产生的化合物直接从肠道运输到肝脏，肝脏又通过胆汁将代谢物输送到肠道。通过这个网络，微生物群落直接影响宿主生理的各个方面，包括体重、营养、行为和药物治疗的疗效（Holmes et al. 2008, Nature 453:396）。第六届国际空间站大会计划旨在促进微生物共生机制和后果的跨学科讨论，以及研究人类健康这一重要方面的新方法。已经安排了研究报告，以促进从微观到宏观尺度以及从模型系统到实际应用的思想转移。这一方法尤其重要，因为：7本次会议将进行跨学科的思想交流，这对于利用和应用共生研究方面取得的进展来改善人类健康至关重要。国际空间站提供了一个协同平台，在这个平台上，致力于阐明微生物群落对人类健康的贡献的研究人员可以与研究共生进化和生态基本方面的研究人员进行交流。微生物共生是一门激发智力的学科，吸引了开拓性的研究生和博士后，他们将从参与一个充满活力和跨学科的会议中受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The International Symbiosis Society (ISS) Congress, held every third year, is a forum to communicate recent advances in the field of beneficial host-microbe interactions. The 5th Congress, held in Vienna, Austria in August 2006, brought together ~270 scientists from all over the world, and proceedings were published in a special issue of the journal Symbiosis. Continuing this exciting tradition, the 6th ISS Congress, to be held in Madison, Wisconsin August 9-15, 2009, will emphasize cutting-edge research on the evolution, ecology, metabolism, cellular biology, and molecular mechanisms of microbial symbiosis. The organizing committee has selected symposium themes that will highlight research showing the pervasive and profound beneficial contributions of microbes to host physiology, development, and health. Such symbiosis research supports an emerging paradigm that microbial communities within hosts, such as those in the mouth or intestine, are the functional equivalent of 'organs' that communicate and cooperate with other parts of the body. For example, microbial processing of ingested material produces compounds that are transported directly from the intestine to the liver, which in turn sends metabolites to the intestine by way of the bile. Through this network, the microbial community has a direct impact on all aspects of host physiology, including weight, nutrition, behavior, and efficacy of pharmaceutical treatments (Holmes et al. 2008, Nature 453:396). The 6th ISS Congress program has been designed to promote inter-disciplinary discussions of the mechanisms and consequences of microbial symbiosis, as well as novel approaches to study this important facet of human health. Research presentations have been arranged to spur transfer of ideas from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale, and from model systems to practical applications. This approach is particularly important as: 7 The interdisciplinary exchange of ideas that will occur at this conference is critical to harnessing and applying advances made in symbiosis research to the improvement of human health. 7 The ISS provides a synergistic platform on which researchers dedicated to elucidating the contributions of microbial communities to human health can interface with those investigating fundamental aspects of the evolution and ecology of symbiosis. 7 Microbial symbiosis is an intellectually stimulating subject that attracts pioneering graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who will benefit from participation in a dynamic and interdisciplinary conference. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Scientists have long recognized that microbes are intimately associated with plants and animals and can perform specific beneficial functions such as acquiring nutrients from the environment. More recently, research has demonstrated that like other animals, humans are profoundly affected by the microbial communities that live within them. Indeed, microbes influence human nutrition, weight, immunity, and responses to pharmaceuticals. The 6th International Symbiosis Society Congress is dedicated to promoting the emergence of new discoveries that improve human health by providing a forum to discuss experimental and theoretical advances in the study of beneficial microbes.