Gravitational Effects on Living Systems: Mechanosensing

描述（由申请人提供）：第七届两年一度的戈登研究 引力对生命系统的影响会议将于7月1日至6日举行， 2001年在康涅狄格大学。 会议的主题是机械传感， 古老的感官能力预计约有100名与会者， 包括23-25名发言人和13名讨论负责人。 的参与 将积极寻找学员。 虽然重力以多种方式影响生命系统，但机械传感是一种 会议的重点。 重力是由机械传感器探测到的， 对于会议的成功来说，最重要的是，这是一个令人兴奋和关键的会议。 机械传感器的研究时间。 原核生物的晶体结构 机械敏感通道最近已被阐明。行为筛选 真核生物遗传模型动物，酵母，蛔虫和果蝇， 产生了不同的机械感觉级联，包括两个假定的类别， 机械感觉离子通道最近， 在果蝇的机械感觉弦音器官和感觉 脊椎动物内耳的毛细胞。 对基因的严格审查 哺乳动物的内耳在识别 基因突变导致小鼠和人类内耳病变。 在 除了在专门的机械传感器上的这种工作之外， 非机械感觉组织反应的最新进展 （植物的肌肉、骨骼、芽和根）与机械输入的关系。 拟议中的会议将汇集科学家谁不通常有一个 因为他们研究不同种类的生物 （微生物、植物或动物）或不同种类的机械响应 （在专门的机械传感器中机械诱发的级联与重新 模型响应机械输入，包括重力），或者因为它们需要 广泛不同的方法（生理学与遗传学）。 此外，戈登 会议形式便于非正式沟通和讨论 有争议的问题。这些因素将促进跨学科的转移， 研究的新战略， 机械传导

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The seventh biennial Gordon Research Conference on Gravitational Effects on Living Systems will be held July 1-6, 2001 at Connecticut College. The theme of the meeting is mechanosensing, an ancient sensory capability. Approximately 100 participants are expected, including 23-25 speakers and 13 discussion leaders. The participation of trainees will be actively sought. While gravity affects living systems in many ways, mechanosensing is an appropriate focus for the meeting. Gravity is detected by mechanosen-sors, but most importantly for the meeting's success, this is an exciting and critical time for research on mechanosensors. The crystal structure of a prokaryotic mechanosensitive channel has recently been elucidated. Behavioral screens of eukaryotic genetic model animals, the yeast, roundworm and fruitfly, have yielded different mechanosensory cascades, including two putative classes of mechanosensory ion channels. Strong functional parallels have recently been shown between the mechanosensory chordotonal organs of flies and the sensory hair cells of the vertebrate inner ear. Intense genetic scrutiny of the mammalian inner ear has produced several pivotal successes in identifying genetic mutations underlying inner ear pathology in mice and humans. In addition to such work on specialized mechanosensors, there have been major recent advances in understanding the responses of nonmechanosensory tissues (muscle, bone, shoots and roots of plants) to mechanical input. The proposed meeting will bring together scientists who don't normally have a chance to meet either because they study different kinds of organisms (microorganisms, plants or animals), or different kinds of mechanical responses (mechanically evoked cascades in specialized mechanosensors vs. tissues that re- model in response to mechanical inputs, including gravity), or because they take widely different approaches (physiology vs. genetics). Moreover, the Gordon Conference format facilitates informal communications and discussions of controversial issues. These factors will promote inter-disciplinary transfer of ideas and approaches and the generation of new strategies for the study of mechanotransduction.