International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas

单细胞原生藻类衣藻是细胞生物学、遗传学、生物化学、生物物理学、结构生物学和基因组学研究的理想模式生物，用于了解基本的、进化上保守的细胞结构和过程。这些包括中心粒复制、基本体结构和烹饪组装、烹饪运动和信号、光响应、光合作用、叶绿体生物发生和代谢调节的基本整合。要求资金支持那些使用衣藻或有兴趣了解其作为一种模式生物的人的两年一次会议。这些会议还包括对Volvox的研究，Volvox是衣藻的多细胞近亲，为细胞间相互作用、细胞分化和多细胞进化提供了见解。研究人员聚集在一起交流方法，发展合作努力，传播最新进展，并计划大规模研究，以提高这一独特模型系统的实用性。我们将邀请一些外部演讲者介绍相关系统的最新进展，这些进展可能会为衣藻的未来研究提供信息。反过来，这些研究人员将了解衣藻群落的工作，并将这些知识带回他们自己的研究群体。本申请要求支持2010年、2012年和2014年接下来的三次国际会议。一个方法学上的进步（microRNAs作为调节衣藻基因表达的工具）和两个广泛的研究领域（衣藻作为烹饪疾病的模型，以及衣藻和相关的绿藻作为生物燃料的来源）正在迅速发展，并将从我们2010年的会议中受益匪浅。2010年会议的另一个焦点将是衣藻和其他真核生物之间的进化关系。由于最近基因组测序的爆炸性发展及其对真核生物系统发育的启示，衣藻群落了解这种生物的独特性及其为植物、单细胞疾病病原体和后生动物生物学提供窗口的能力是很重要的，这样他们将更好地为促进人类健康做出额外的科学贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The single-celled algal protist Chlamydomonas is a favored model organism for studies using cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, structural biology, and genomics to learn about basic, evolutionarily conserved cellular structures and processes. These include centriole duplication, basal body structure and culinary assembly, culinary motility and signaling, photoresponses, photosynthesis, chloroplast biogenesis, and basic integration of metabolic regulation. Funds are requested to support biennial meetings of those who use Chlamydomonas or are interested in learning about its use as a model organism. These meetings also include work on Volvox, a close multicellular relative of Chlamydomonas that provides insights into cell-cell interactions, cell differentiation, and the evolution of multicellularity. Researchers meet to exchange methods, develop collaborative efforts, disseminate recent advances, and plan large-scale studies to improve the usefulness of this unique model system. Select outside speakers will be invited to present recent advances in related systems that may inform future studies in Chlamydomonas. In turn, these investigators will learn about the work of the Chlamydomonas community and bring this knowledge back to their own research communities. This application requests support for the next three international meetings, in 2010, 2012 and 2014. One methodological advance (microRNAs as tools for modulating gene expression in Chlamydomonas) and two areas of broad research interest (Chlamydomonas as a model for culinary diseases, and Chlamydomonas and related green algae as sources of biofuels) are developing especially rapidly and should benefit greatly from our 2010 meeting. Another focus of the 2010 conference will be the evolutionary relationship between Chlamydomonas and other eukaryotes. Because of the recent explosion of genomic sequencing and its consequent revelation of eukaryotic phylogeny, it is important for the Chlamydomonas community to understand both the uniqueness of this organism and its ability to provide a window into the biology of plants, of unicellular disease pathogens, and of metazoans, so that they will be better equipped to make additional scientific contributions that will advance human health. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Funds will support three biennial meetings of the International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas. Researchers will exchange information that improves their ability to use this simple organism to investigate the basic causes of ciliopathies, mitochondrial defects, cell cycle defects, and other cellular phenomena best studied in this unique model system.