Conference on Specificity and Crosstalk in Plant Signal Transduction being held on January 22 - 27 2002: in Tahoe City, California.

信号转导网络在真核生物中是必不可少的，使细胞能够感知并响应细胞外条件的持续变化。在单个细胞中存在多种信号通路，控制必要的反应，包括激素信号、有丝分裂和细胞凋亡。了解信号通路之间相互串扰或在复杂的信号网络中赋予特异性的分子机制是当前真核生物学深入研究的一个领域。人们早已认识到，植物生长发育的大多数方面是由信号机制网络而不是线性信号转导途径调控的。此外，大多数植物细胞表达六大类植物激素的受体和额外的光和病原体响应受体，需要处理每一条途径，同时也利用这些途径之间的串扰。近年来，利用新的遗传学、生物化学和基因组学方法进行的跨学科研究，使得人们在了解植物信号转导中的串扰和特异性机制方面取得了快速和加速的进展。激素、光、病原体和逆境刺激触发了对植物生长、发育和生存至关重要的信号转导级联反应。植物信号转导中的特异性和串扰的关键研讨会将集中在介绍这些反应中新认识的接收和转导机制。组织者建立了重要渠道，确保会议发言者的多样性，并正在申请资金，以便为毕业生、博士后助理和选定的演讲者提供旅行支助，以实现多样性和多学科的目标。会议的目标将是突出这一快速发展领域的主要进展，并综合对哪些机制调节途径之间的串扰以及哪些机制允许特定调控植物生长和发育反应的综合理解。了解这些机制对于操纵植物的生长和发育以及开发最终造福人类健康的新的生物技术应用是至关重要的。

Signal transduction networks are essential in eukaryotes, allowing cells to perceive andrespond to continuous changes in extracellular conditions. Multiple signaling pathwaysco-exist in individual cells controlling essential responses, including hormone signaling,mitogenesis and apoptosis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which signalingpathways cross talk with one another or by which specificity is conferred within a complexsignaling network is an area of present intensive research in eukaryotic biology. It haslong been recognized that most aspects of plant growth and development are regulated bynetworks of signaling mechanisms rather than linear signal transduction pathways.Furthermore, most plant cells express receptors for the six major classes of planthormones and additional light and pathogen responsive receptors and need to process eachpathway, while also making use of cross talk among these pathways. Recentinterdisciplinary studies using new genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches have ledto rapid and accelerating progress in understanding mechanisms that mediate cross talk andspecificity in plant signal transduction.Hormones, light, pathogens and stress stimuli trigger signal transduction cascades thatare essential for growth, development and survival of plants. The Keystone Symposium onSpecificity and Cross Talk in Plant Signal Transduction will be focused on presentationson newly recognized reception and transduction mechanisms in these responses. Theorganizers have set up important avenues that will ensure diversity among presenters atthe conference and are requesting funds, that will enable travel support for graduatestudents, post doctoral associates and selected speakers, towards achieving the goal ofdiversity and multidisciplinarity. The goal of the meeting will be to highlight majoradvances in this rapidly moving field and to synthesize an integrated understanding ofwhich mechanisms mediate cross talk among pathways and which mechanisms allow specificmodulation of plant growth and developmental responses. Understanding of these mechanismsis essential for manipulation of plant growth and development and for developing newbiotechnological applications, that will ultimately benefit human health.