Symposium: Insights of Early Chordate Genomics: January 3-7, 2010; Seattle, WA

在动物王国中，有一门叫做脊索动物，它包括三个类群：文昌鱼，被囊动物和脊椎动物（有脊椎的动物）。 对这些群体成员的关键基因组进行测序，为比较研究这些动物与所有其他生物体的进化开辟了许多途径--这在世纪是不可能的。由于基因组学和关键动物基因组图谱的这些最新进展，主要研究人员将在西雅图举行的综合与比较生物学学会（SICB）会议上主持一个专题讨论会（2010年1月），将汇集最新的发现，从脊索动物基因组方面的发展机制和神经内分泌系统的演变。 这些发现已经对目前的几个假设提出了挑战，并为新的比较研究提供了方向。随着对这些基础脊索动物基因组研究的进展，许多过去的假设和发现将受到挑战。因此，本次研讨会提供了一个机会，以扩大我们的祖先的发育机制和神经内分泌系统的基本特征的理解，并将是第一次在一次会议上综合研究这些功能。十一个国家和国际发言人将参加并出席研讨会。此外，将有两个贡献会议，鼓励发言者至少有一个研究生或博士后研究助理从他们的实验室提出口头报告或海报。出席会议的其他与会者也将有机会在其中一次贡献会议上发言。专题讨论会的会议记录将通过在SICB杂志《综合和比较生物学》上发表的论文向科学界和其他方面广泛传播。

In the animal kingdom, there is a phylum called Chordata that includes three groups: amphioxus or lancelets, Tunicates, and Vertebrates (animals with backbones). The sequencing of key genomes from members of these groups opens up many avenues for comparative investigations on the evolution of these animals in comparison to all other living organisms - avenues that were not available in the 20th century.Because of these very recent advances in genomics and mapping of key animal genomes, the principal investigators will host a symposium at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) meeting in Seattle (January, 2010) that will bring together the latest findings from chordate genomes with respect to the evolution of developmental mechanisms and neuroendocrine systems. These findings are already challenging several current hypotheses and providing directions for new comparative studies. As studies progress on the genomes from these basal chordates, many more past hypotheses and findings will be challenged. This symposium therefore offers an opportunity to expand our understanding of fundamental features of ancestral developmental mechanisms and neuroendocrine systems and will be the first to examine these features synthetically in one meeting.Eleven national and international speakers will participate and present in the symposium. In addition, there will be two contributing sessions where speakers are encouraged to have at least one graduate student or postdoctoral research associate from their laboratory present an oral presentation or poster. There will also be an opportunity for other participants attending the meeting to present at one of these contributing sessions. Proceedings of the symposium will be widely disseminated to the scientific community and beyond through papers published in the SICB journal, Integrative and Comparative Biology.