Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology 2008 Gordon Research Conference

描述(由申请人提供)：2008年7月13日至2008年7月18日，将在缅因州刘易斯顿的贝茨学院举行的戈登研究会议(GRC)，主题为“结构生物学中的扩散方法”，现申请部分资助。结构生物学是一个支撑我们对疾病的分子基础的基本了解的领域，因此也是疾病预防的基础。晶体样品的X射线衍射被用来获得具有重要生物学意义的大分子的三维形状的信息。这一知识通常既可以定义生物分子的功能，也可以确定与人类健康相关的分子途径的作用机制。它提供了必要的信息，以干扰这些途径，如果它们有不希望的结果(例如，基于结构的药物设计针对细胞周期蛋白，控制细胞分裂的癌症)。GRC是美国介绍和讨论衍射法各方面最新进展的主要论坛。2006年的会议出席人数很多，在实地发挥了至关重要的作用，使来自不同地理位置的积极参与制定方法的人能够进行广泛的讨论。 2008年会议将由Elspeth Garman(LMB，牛津大学)和Andrew Leslie(MRC-LMB，剑桥，副主席)主持，并将包括该领域许多主要软件和硬件开发商的发言。还计划举行会议，讨论膜蛋白质结构测定带来的挑战，以及开发世界各地许多大分子结晶学同步加速器光束线的潜力。2006年会议的一项创新是列入了关于“其他生物物理技术”和“未来的成像方法”的非常激动人心的会议。我们计划在2008年再举办两次这样的会议，其中将包括关于中子衍射、EXAFS、同步X射线和在线光谱测量、电子显微镜方法学和X射线衍射成像的发展，以及使用自由电子激光进行单分子成像可行性研究的最新进展。越来越多的人认识到，使用这种互补技术极大地有助于研究目前正在研究的日益复杂的生物分子组装。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Partial support is requested for the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on `Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology' to be held at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine from 7/13/2008 -7/18/2008. Structural Biology is a field which underpins our basic understanding of the molecular basis of disease, and hence of disease prevention. The diffraction of X-rays from crystalline samples is used to obtain information on the three-dimensional shapes of large biologically important molecules. This knowledge often allows both the function of the biomolecule to be defined and the mechanisms of action of molecular pathways relevant to human health to be determined. It provides the necessary information required to interfere with these pathways if they have undesirable outcomes (e.g. structure based drug design against cell cycle proteins which control cell division in a cancerous tumour). This GRC is the main forum in the United States for the presentation and discussion of recent advances in all aspects of diffraction methods. The 2006 meeting was very well attended and fulfilled a vital role in the field by allowing extended discussions between those actively involved in methods development from geographically diverse locations. The 2008 meeting will be chaired by Elspeth Garman (LMB, Oxford University) and Andrew Leslie (MRC-LMB, Cambridge, Vice-Chair) and will include presentations from many of the key software and hardware developers in the field. Sessions are also planned to discuss the challenges posed by membrane protein structure determination and on developing the potential of the many macromolecular crystallography synchrotron beamlines worldwide. An innovation at the 2006 meeting was the inclusion of very stimulating sessions on `Other Biophysical techniques' and on `Imaging methods of the future'. We plan two more such sessions for 2008 which will include talks on neutron diffraction, EXAFS, concurrent X-ray and on-line spectroscopy measurements, developments in electron microscopy methodology and X-ray diffraction imaging, as well as recent advances in research on the feasibility of single molecule imaging using a Free Electron Laser. There is a growing recognition that the use of such complementary techniques highly benefits the study of the increasingly complex assemblies of biological molecules now under investigation.