2011 Apoptotic Cell Recognition and Clearance Gordon Research Conference and Gord

描述(由申请人提供)：细胞凋亡或程序性细胞死亡在成年生物体早期发育过程中的形态发生以及组织内稳态的维持中起着关键作用。人们对细胞凋亡的机制进行了深入的研究，并对细胞死亡途径的早期阶段进行了相当详细的定义。然而，一旦参与死亡计划，死亡细胞的命运仍有待充分描述，其对人类疾病的影响也知之甚少。本次戈登研究会议和随之而来的戈登研究研讨会将于2011年7月16日至22日在缅因州贝茨学院举行，会议将讨论这一问题。在多细胞生物体中，经历细胞程序性死亡的细胞通过吞噬作用被移除，吞噬作用是细胞吸收和消化其他细胞的一种生物事件。死亡细胞的吞噬和清除与细胞死亡本身密切相关，在许多情况下发生在细胞死亡程序完成之前，甚至可以影响这一过程。因此，可以说，通过吞噬去除细胞是细胞凋亡的最终目标。吞噬去除凋亡细胞对于形态发生以塑造器官、通过去除老化或废弃的细胞来更新以及通过清除病原体感染或有害细胞来预防疾病是必不可少的。最近的研究表明，吞噬的凋亡细胞在免疫系统中还有一个额外的作用。吞噬了凋亡细胞的吞噬细胞调节炎症，促进分解和组织修复。此外，在体内平衡和感染期间，凋亡细胞为获得性免疫系统提供了重要的抗原来源。不能及时清除凋亡细胞可能会导致慢性炎症性疾病、自身免疫性疾病、神经变性和癌症。因此，阐明细胞凋亡清除的机制不仅对于增加我们对这一过程的基础知识，而且对于我们理解炎症和免疫疾病的原因以及开发潜在的医学应用具有重要的意义。这次戈登研究会议每隔一年举行一次，是凋亡细胞识别和清除领域唯一的定期国际会议。这将是该系列会议中的第五次会议，自2003年以来每隔一年举行一次会议。这次会议吸引了来自生物化学、细胞、发育和结构生物学、神经学、免疫学和药理学等广泛研究领域的研究人员，旨在解释基本概念和临床意义。以往的会议都很成功，出席率很高，得到了积极的评价，并主办了关于这一主题的重要讨论，促进了新的模式、合作和进展。然而，仍然有重要的基础性问题有待解决，随着死亡细胞识别的更广泛影响及其医疗应用的潜力被发现，这一研究领域迅速发展。 公共卫生相关性：已对我们的健康有害的细胞，如病毒感染的细胞和肿瘤，通常被诱导经历细胞死亡，并变得容易被免疫细胞清除。这一过程可以通过临床操作来促进组织修复或用于免疫；然而，在识别和移除死亡细胞方面的缺陷会导致炎症性疾病和自身免疫性疾病。建议召开的关于细胞凋亡识别和清除的戈登研究会议将讨论这些主题，并应导致在理解和治疗广泛的严重疾病方面的医学进步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Apoptosis or programmed cell death plays a key role in morphogenesis during early development as well as in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in adult organisms. The mechanisms of apoptosis have been intensely studied, and the early stages of the cell death pathway are defined in considerable detail. However, the fates of dying cells, once death programs are engaged, remain to be fully characterized and their implications for human disease are poorly understood. This Gordon Research Conference and accompanying Gordon Research Seminar on Apoptotic Cell Recognition & Clearance, to be held from July 16-22, 2011 at Bates College, Maine will deal with this issue. In multicellular organisms, cells undergoing programmed cell death are removed through phagocytosis, a biological event in which cells take up and digest other cells. The engulfement and clearance of dying cells is closely linked with cell death itself, and in many cases occurs before the cell death program is complete and can even influence the process. It is therefore arguable that the removal of cells through phagocytosis is the ultimate objective of apoptosis. Phagocytic removal of apoptotic cells is essential for morphogenesis to sculpt organs, renewal by removing aged or spent cells and prevention of disease by clearing pathogen-infected or harmful cells. Recent studies have revealed an additional role for engulfed apoptotic cells in the immune system. Phagocytes that have engulfed apoptotic cells regulate inflammation and promote resolution and tissue repair. In addition, apoptotic cells provide an important source of antigen to the acquired immune system during homeostasis and infection. Failure to promptly clear apoptotic cells can lead to the development of chronic inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases, neurodegeneration and cancer. It is therefore important to elucidate the mechanism of apoptotic cell clearance not only for increasing our fundamental knowledge of this process, but also for our understanding of the causes of inflammatory and immune diseases, and the development of potential medical applications. This Gordon Research conference, held every other year, is the only regular international meeting in the field of apoptotic cell recognition and clearance. This will be the fifth meeting in the series, following meetings every other year since 2003. The conference attracts researchers from a wide area of research including biochemistry, cell, developmental and structural biology, neurology, immunology, and pharmacology, and is aimed at explaining basic concepts as well as clinical implications. Previous meetings have been successful, with high attendance and positive evaluations, and have hosted important discussions on this topic which have promoted new paradigms, collaborations and advances. However, there remain important fundamental questions still to be solved, and this area of research has rapidly grown as the wider implications of recognition of dead cells and their potential for medical applications have been uncovered. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cells that have become harmful to our health, such as virus-infected cells and tumors, are often induced to undergo cell death and become susceptible to removal by immune cells. This process can be manipulated clinically to promote tissue repair or for immunization; however, defects in recognition and removal of dead cells contribute to inflammatory disease and autoimmune disorders. This proposed Gordon Research Conference on Apoptotic Cell Recognition & Clearance will discuss these topics and should lead to medical advances in understanding and treatring a wide range of serious diseases.