Symposium: Beyond Carrier Proteins: Integrative and Evolutionary Roles of Hormone-binding Proteins, to be held January 2-6, 2002 in Anaheim, California

本次研讨会的目的是促进对激素结合蛋白（hbp）在内分泌系统中作为中心位置调节因子的认识，它在细胞和生理功能的整合以及内分泌系统的进化中都有重要的影响。在本次研讨会中，HBPs将被定义为细胞外环境中（主要是）结合激素或类似因子的蛋白质，通常具有高亲和力，因此在激素及其通过细胞受体转导信号的能力之间保持中心调节地位。研讨会的重点将是超越HBPs作为“载体蛋白”的作用，而是引入HBPs作为多功能调节蛋白的新兴概念，这些蛋白可以在整合内分泌系统中发挥动态甚至主导作用。特别令人感兴趣的是，除了主要的激素结合外，hbp在哪里已经发展出调节特性，包括那些传播到其他内分泌系统的特性。随着HBPs的各种特性被越来越多地定义，人们也越来越清楚，许多HBPs具有有趣的进化历史，不仅在不同分类群中其特性的发展，而且在它们与之相互作用的激素和受体系统的进化中也有影响。这些数据为HBPs在内分泌系统中的作用提供了更好的理解和生物学观点。本次研讨会将有13场全体讲座，演讲者将作为各自感兴趣的HBP的“大使”。鼓励演讲者在一般和潜在调节机制（“综合背景”）的背景下介绍自己的工作，并在可能的情况下在各自内分泌系统的进化背景下介绍自己的工作（“进化背景”）。预计几位演讲者还将介绍不同HBP/内分泌系统以及不同生理系统之间的联系。鉴于HBP/内分泌系统参与多种生理系统的整合和进化，包括生殖、发育、神经系统、免疫系统等，这种类型的研讨会将为广泛的生物学家提供一个机会，了解与内分泌学相关的前沿领域。12位主讲人将讨论某些HBPs的更具体方面，第13次讲座将更为宽泛，作为第一届年度霍华德·a·伯尔尼比较内分泌学讲座，今年由伯尔尼本人主讲。第二天，将有一个相关的HBP小型研讨会，学生，博士后和其他人将有机会参加。国际公认的《内分泌学杂志》将发表会议记录。迄今为止，尽管越来越多的证据表明HBPs在许多系统中具有核心和关键作用，但对HBPs对内分泌调节和内分泌系统进化的重要性的普遍认识仍然有限。据我们所知，这种以“交叉”理论为基础、影响广泛的专题讨论会尚未出现。特别独特的是强调HBPs的多功能性质及其在内分泌系统进化中的作用。

The goal for this symposium is to advance the recognition of hormone-binding proteins (HBPs) as centrally-positioned regulators in endocrine systems, that have significant influences both in the integration of cell and physiological function as well as in the evolution of endocrine systems. In this symposium, HBPs will be defined as proteins in the extracellular environment (mostly) that bind hormones or similar factors, usually with a high affinity, and that therefore maintain a central regulatory position between a hormone and its ability to transduce its signal through its cell receptor. The emphasis of the symposium will be to look beyond the role of HBPs as 'carrier proteins' and instead to bring in the emerging concepts of HBPs as multifunctional regulatory proteins that can play dynamic --even predominant-- roles in integrating endocrine systems. Of particular interest will be where HBPs have developed regulatory properties beyond that of primary hormone-binding, including those that broadcast into other endocrine systems. With the diverse properties of HBPs being increasingly defined, it is also becoming clear that many HBPs have interesting evolutionary histories, not only in the development of their properties through different taxa, but also in their influences on the evolution of the hormone and receptor systems with which they interact. Such data are providing an enhanced understanding, and biological perspective, of the roles of HBPs in endocrine systems. In this symposium, there will be 13 plenary lectures by speakers who will serve as "ambassadors" for their respective HBP(s) of interest. The speakers are encouraged to present their own work in the context of general and underlying regulatory mechanisms ("integrative context") and, where possible, in the context of the evolution of the respective endocrine systems ("evolutionary context"). It is expected that several of the speakers will also draw connections between different HBP/endocrine systems, as well as to diverse physiological systems. Given the involvement of HBP/endocrine systems in the integration and evolution of diverse physiological systems, including reproduction, development, neural systems, immune systems, and others, this type of symposium will afford an opportunity for a wide spectrum of biologists to learn about a forefront area in endocrinology with relevance to them. Twelve speakers will consider more specific aspects of certain HBPs, with a thirteenth lecture to be more general and given as the first annual Howard A. Bern Lecture in Comparative Endocrinology and presented by the namesake himself this year. On the following day, there will be an associated HBP Mini-Symposium at which students, postdocs, and others will have an opportunity to participate. The internationally recognized Journal of Endocrinology will publish the symposium proceedings. To date, general recognition of the importance of HBPs to endocrine regulation and to the evolution of endocrine systems has been limited, despite increasingly compelling evidence for their central, key roles in many systems. As far as we are aware, there has not yet been a broad-reaching symposium of this type, which orients itself on a "cross-cutting" theoretical basis. Particularly unique are the emphases on the multifunctional nature of HBPs and on their role in endocrine system evolution.