Sixth Small Genomes Conference, September 20-24, 1998, Lake Arrowhead, CA

在未来一到两年内比较多达15-25个微生物基因组的序列和内容，并了解这些序列如何在全球范围内控制特定基因组的前景令人非常兴奋。利用不同类型的遗传学和功能基因组研究来了解整个基因组序列是如何运作的，这将是许多实验室的重点。微生物学的不同方面无疑将发生相当大的整合，包括对进化和生命需求的新视角。在生物学、分析技术和数据管理方面学到的经验教训应该应用于其他基因组项目，包括人类和其他真核生物的基因组项目。去年完成基因组的大肠杆菌将继续为原核和真核系统提供先例和范例，因为在过去的40年里，对大肠杆菌进行了广泛的生理、生化和遗传分析，使其成为研究得最好的微生物，也是所有其他微生物相比的模式系统之一。这次会议的目标是为这些相互作用的发生提供一个定期的论坛。为此，会议将包括活跃的基因组研究人员，如从事数据库设计、序列分析或模拟工作的测序专家和信息学专家；遗传学家开发利用基因组信息的新方法，例如用于功能分析；以及专门研究新陈代谢、染色体结构、蛋白质结构或基因调控等基因组学领域的细胞生物学家和生物化学家。虽然最近举行了许多基因组会议，但新基因组序列的不断完成和发布，以及对这些海量信息的分析势头的发展，意味着社区仍然需要这样的会议。在过去的七年中，该会议已成为主要的定期年度细菌基因组学会议，并确保了其地位和质量。

There is great excitement over the prospect of comparing the sequences and contents of as many as 15-25 microorganism genomes over the next year or two, and of learning how these sequences operate to control specific genomes on a global basis. Using both genetics and functional genomic studies of different types to understand how whole genome sequences operate will be the focus of many laboratories. Considerable integration of different aspects of microbiology will undoubtedly take place, including new perspectives on evolution and the requirements for life. Lessons learned regarding biology, analysis techniques and data management should have application in other genome projects, including those of humans and other eukaryotes. Escherichia coli, whose genome was completed last year, will continue to provide precedent and paradigm for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, since the extensive physiologic, biochemical, and genetic analysis of E. coli over the last four decades make this the best studied microorganism, and one of the model systems to which all others are compared.The goal of this conference is to provide a regular forum for these interactions to occur. To this end the conference will include active genome researchers, such as sequencing experts and informatics specialists working in database design, sequence analysis, or simulation; geneticists developing new methods to take advantage of genomic information, e.g. for functional analysis; and cell biologists and biochemists who have specialized in areas now ripe for genomics such as metabolism, chromosome structure, protein structure, or gene regulation. While there have been a number of recent genome conferences, continuing completion and release of new genome sequences and developing momentum for analysis of this huge amount of information means the community has continued need of such meetings. This meeting has become established as a major regular annual bacterial genomics conference during the last seven years and has assured status and quality.