17th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on June 28 - July 2, 2006.

该项目将为2006年6月28日至7月2日在麦迪逊威斯康星大学举行的第17届国际拟南芥研究会议提供支持。40多年来，拟南芥一直是遗传分析的对象。目前，全世界数以千计的研究人员正在与这种高度驯化的参考植物合作，利用它来研究植物生物学的几乎所有方面。植物研究界已经通过一个雄心勃勃的功能基因组学计划来应对利用拟南芥全基因组序列的挑战，推动了拟南芥基因功能的发现，进而在所有植物中发现了基因功能。拟南芥的研究尤其影响了对农业上重要植物的重要经济过程的理解。拟南芥研究实验室之间协同互动的一个关键组成部分是有机会在一年一度的拟南芥研究国际会议上与来自世界各地的同事见面并分享成果。这次会议汇集了来自国际社会的1000多名与会者，交流科学成果并报告该领域的进展情况。会议将包括以下方面的平台会议：系统生物学；与环境中生物和非生物因素的相互作用；控制植物基因表达的遗传和表观遗传机制；自然变异和比较基因组学；植物的花、果实、种子、根和茎的发育；植物新陈代谢；信号途径；细胞生物学；拟南芥研究到其他植物系统的翻译；植物如何贡献能源；以及关于由NSF拟南芥2010计划资助的项目的特别会议。每个平台会议将包括大约5名演讲者，其中大部分将是初级教师、博士后研究员和研究生。这些初级科学家将从向大量听众发表平台演讲的经验和曝光率中专业受益。此外，会议将有至少600张海报演示和几个专题研讨会，如数据库资源和教学策略。会议的更广泛影响在于它有能力加强世界范围内拟南芥研究前沿的信息交流，创造新的网络和合作。会议摘要将在会议网站上公开提供，该网站链接到拟南芥信息资源网站。此外，会议还通过向少数族裔科学家提供旅费补贴来促进他们的参与。此外，今年的会议将强调将拟南芥研究扩展到其他植物物种，刺激农业植物改良的创新战略。

This project will provide support for the 17th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research to be held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on June 28 through July 2, 2006. Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of genetic analysis for more than forty years. Currently thousands of researchers world-wide work with this highly tractable reference plant, using it to study nearly all aspects of plant biology. The plant research community has responded to the challenge of exploiting the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis with an ambitious functional genomics program, driving the discovery of Arabidopsis gene functions and by extension gene functions in all plants. Arabidopsis research has especially impacted the understanding economically important processes of agriculturally important plants. A key component in the synergistic interactions among Arabidopsis research laboratories is the opportunity to meet and share results with colleagues from around the world at the annual International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR). The conference brings together over 1000 participants from the international community to exchange scientific results and report on progress in the field. The conference will include platform sessions on systems biology; interactions with biotic and abiotic factors in the environment; genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that control plant gene expression; natural variation and comparative genomics; development of the flower, fruit, seed, root and shoot of the plant; plant metabolism; signaling pathways; cell biology; translation of Arabidopsis research to other plant systems; how plants contribute to energy resources; and a special session on projects funded through the NSF Arabidopsis 2010 program. Each platform session will include approximately 5 speakers, the majority of whom will be junior faculty, post-Doctoral fellows, and graduate students. These junior scientists will professionally benefit from the experience and exposure of giving a platform talk to a large audience. In addition, the conference will feature at least 600 poster presentations and several workshops on special topics such as database resources and teaching strategies.The broader impact of the conference lies in its ability to enhance the exchange of information at the forefront of Arabidopsis research world-wide, creating new networks and collaborations. Conference abstracts will be publicly available on the conference Web site, which is linked to the Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) Web site. In addition, the Conference fosters the participation of minority scientists by providing them with travel subsidies. Furthermore, this year's conference will emphasize extending Arabidopsis studies to other plant species, stimulating innovative strategies for improvement of agricultural plants.