Conference: Gametophytes: Evolution, Development and Function; Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland; June 8-13, 2003

Pruitt 0311962将于2003年6月8日至6月13日在瑞士阿斯科纳的蒙特维里塔举行题为“配子体：进化、发展和功能”的国际会议，由瑞士苏黎世大学的Ueli Grossniklaus博士、日本国家基础生物学研究所Mitsuyasu Hasebe博士以及普渡大学的Robert Pruitt博士和Jo Ann Banks博士组织。会议的目标是将不同的国际科学家群体聚集在一起：1)通过研讨会、研讨会、海报和非正式讨论了解配子体生物学的方方面面；2)确定未来的研究需求和方向；3)探索将这些知识应用于植物育种和作物生产的新想法。会议将进行广告宣传和组织，以鼓励研究生和年轻研究人员参与。这是有史以来第一次围绕植物配子体组织的会议，鉴于配子体在植物有性繁殖中发挥的基本功能，这是值得注意的。植物配子体代表植物生命周期的单倍体阶段，并具有产生卵子和精子的功能。尽管在大多数植物中，它的大小很小，但它在有性繁殖中起着至关重要的作用，因此，它最近成为世界各地许多科学家密集研究的重点。低等植物生活史的配子体阶段由一个宏观的、自由生活的有机体组成，它发育复杂，以不同的方式对环境做出反应。在开花植物的进化过程中，雄配子体和雌配子体被退化为完全依赖二倍体亲本生存的微观单倍体结构。这些简化的配子体在结构上更简单，但保留了它们在植物有性繁殖以及关键发育过程中的重要作用，如不对称细胞分裂和差异细胞命运确定。通过加强研究许多物种配子体的植物科学家之间的沟通，这次会议将加快这一根本性重要研究的步伐。更好地了解配子体及其在生殖中的作用最终将导致改进植物育种的新策略。例如，通过雄性不育和自交不亲和来操纵植物的有性繁殖，已经在植物育种和农业方面取得了惊人的成功，尽管人们对有性繁殖是如何控制的了解非常有限。了解配子体发育和功能的遗传基础将为控制这些过程开辟许多新的机会。这次会议将汇集来自世界各地的科学家，讨论当前和未来的研究工作，以了解所有植物配子体发育的各个方面，以及如何将这些知识应用于改善植物育种和作物产量的目的。

Pruitt 0311962An international conference entitled "Gametophytes: Evolution, Development and Function" to be held at Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland June 8th - June 13th, 2003 is being organized by Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus (University of Zurich, Switzerland), Dr. Mitsuyasu Hasebe (National Institute for Basic Biology, Japan), and Drs. Robert Pruitt and Jo Ann Banks (Purdue University). The goals of the conference are to bring together a diverse group of international scientists to: 1) learn about all aspects of gametophyte biology through seminars, workshops, posters and informal discussions; 2) identify future research needs and directions; and 3) explore new ideas for applying this knowledge to benefit plant breeding and crop production. The meeting will be advertised and organized to encourage participation of graduate students and young investigators. This is the first meeting ever organized around the plant gametophyte, which is remarkable given the essential functions that the gametophyte performs in plant sexual reproduction.The plant gametophyte represents the haploid phase of the plant life cycle and functions to produce the egg and sperm. Although it is minute in size in most plants, it has an essential role in sexual reproduction and, for this reason, has recently become the focus of intensive study by many scientists throughout the world. The gametophytic phase of the life cycle of lower plants consists of a macroscopic, free-living organism that is developmentally complex and responds to its environment in diverse ways. During the evolution of the flowering plants the male and female gametophytes were reduced to microscopic haploid structures entirely dependent on their diploid parent for survival. These reduced gametophytes are structurally simpler, but retain their essential role in plant sexual reproduction as well as key developmental processes such as asymmetric cell division and differential cell fate specification.By improving communication between plant scientists studying gametophytes of many species, this meeting will accelerate the pace of this fundamentally important research. A better understanding of gametophytes and their role in reproduction will ultimately lead to new strategies for improving plant breeding. The manipulation of sexual reproduction in plants through male sterility and self-incompatibility, for example, has led to spectacular successes in plant breeding and agriculture despite a very limited understanding of how sexual reproduction is controlled. An understanding of the genetic basis of gametophyte development and function will open up many new opportunities for controlling these processes. This conference will bring together scientists from around the world to discuss current and future research efforts to understand all aspects of gametophyte development in all plants and how this knowledge can be applied for the purposes of improving plant breeding and crop production.