4th ASM Conference on Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria

描述（由申请人提供）：细菌是单细胞生命的范例，但它们也表现出复杂的协调行为，通常与单细胞生物不同。过去二十年的研究表明，多种微生物通过不同的机制进行交流。在大多数情况下，这些微生物的对话是通过扩散信号的交换发生的，尽管也有明显的依赖接触的交流的例子。许多微生物使用这些信号机制来监测和响应种群密度，这一过程通常被称为群体感应。然而，细菌间的交流并不局限于群体感应机制，而且越来越多的证据表明信号可以在不同的能力范围内发挥作用。微生物之间的交流对宿主的相互作用有着深远的影响，因为病原体和共生体经常通过信号产生和感知来调节与宿主相互作用的关键因素。本申请为2011年11月6日至9日在佛罗里达州迈阿密举行的第四届美国微生物学会主办的“细菌中细胞-细胞通讯”会议提供资金支持。细菌细胞-细胞通讯的研究汇集了各种各样的科学家，包括微生物学家、结构生物学家、系统和合成生物学家、化学家、生物化学家和生态学家。此外，对信号机制的关注超越了生物体之间以及“医学”和“非医学”微生物学之间的历史界限。CCCB会议的目标是提供一个独特的论坛，供在这个快速发展但成熟的领域工作的研究人员讨论、传播和交流新的信息和思想。会议围绕以下主题安排：化学信号的多样性；信号传导和干扰机制；细菌发育和抗生素生产中的细胞间通讯宿主-微生物信号传导及其发病机制；共生、互惠和微生物间的交流；生态学和进化；细胞-细胞通讯研究技术工具箱的进展如果没有最后一部分，这个句子可能已经足够长了。本次会议的目标是作为一个渠道，在美国和国际领先的科学家之间的交流和合成的新思想在细菌通讯工作，培养下一代科学家在这一领域的工作，并吸引其他研究人员（特别是那些在系统和合成生物学，进化和生态学，化学）到这个令人兴奋的领域。预计这次会议将刺激和扩大细胞-细胞通信社区，导致杰出的讨论和富有成效的新合作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Bacteria are the paradigm for unicellular life, yet they also exhibit elaborate coordinated behaviors that often defy unicellularity. Research over the past two decades has revealed that a wide range of microbes communicate by diverse mechanisms. In most cases these microbial conversations occur through the exchange of diffusible signals, although there are also clear examples of contact-dependent communication. Many microbes use these signaling mechanisms to monitor and respond to population density, a process often described as quorum sensing. Interbacterial communication is not, however restricted to quorum sensing mechanisms, and there is mounting evidence that signaling can function in a range of different capacities. Communication between microorganisms has profound impacts on host interactions, as pathogens and commensals often regulate factors critical for interaction with their hosts via signal production and perception. This application requests financial support for the fourth American Society of Microbiology-sponsored conference on Cell-cell Communication in Bacteria, to be held November 6-9, 2011 in Miami, Florida. Research on bacterial cell-cell communication brings together a diversity of scientists, including microbiologists, structural biologists, systems and synthetic biologists, chemists, biochemists, and ecologists. Furthermore, the focus on signaling mechanisms transcends historical boundaries between organisms, and between "medical" and "nonmedical" microbiology. The goal of the CCCB conference is to provide a unique forum for the discussion, dissemination and exchange of new information and ideas among researchers working within this rapidly developing, yet mature field. Sessions are arranged around topics such as: the diversity of chemical signals; mechanisms of signaling and interference; cell-cell communication in bacterial development and antibiotic production; host-microbe signaling and pathogenesis; symbiosis, mutualism, and microbe-microbe communication; ecology and evolution; advancements in the technological tool-kit for studying cell-cell communication; this sentence is probably long enough without the last part. The goal of this conference is to act as a conduit for the exchange and synthesis of new ideas among leading US and international scientists working on bacterial communication, to foster the next generation of scientists to work in this area, and to attract other researchers (particularly those in systems and synthetic biology, evolution and ecology, and chemistry) to this exciting field. It is anticipated that this conference will stimulate and expand the cell-cell communication community, leading to outstanding discourse and productive new collaborations. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cell-cell communication is recognized as an important aspect of microbiology and is an area of intense research activity. Research in this area encompasses microbiology, structural biology, systems and synthetic biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and ecology. This ASM-sponsored conference entitled "Cell-cell Communication in Bacteria" is dedicated to exploring the state-of-the-art in this critical field. The aims of this conference are i) to promote information sharing that will encourage the development of new research directions by bring together researchers working in different areas and on diverse signaling systems, ii) to promote junior investigators in the field and promote diversity within the research community, and iii) to provide a format for collegial interactions and discussion between scientists in different fields.