Genetics and Biochemistry of Sleep

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案请求支持由Amita Sehgal， Jay C. Dunlap和Emmanuel Mignot组织的题为“睡眠的遗传学和生物化学”的Keystone专题会议，该会议将于2008年3月7日至12日在加利福尼亚州太浩市举行。睡眠越来越被认为是一个重要的研究领域，它也与我们对其他生理功能的理解有关。最近取得的进展包括：发现导致睡眠障碍的基因（如嗜睡症、睡眠阶段提前综合征）、动物（包括无脊椎动物）睡眠模式系统的发展、睡眠调节基因的发现以及睡眠与代谢之间联系的证明。此外，睡眠中断对健康的严重影响也有严格的记录。现在的主要问题是，睡眠的时间和持续时间是如何由昼夜节律和促进睡眠的体内平衡系统控制的，以及睡眠的基本功能是什么。建议的计划强调跨学科方法解决上述问题的好处。它还强调了睡眠对生理学其他方面的影响程度，以及在理解睡眠障碍的分子基础方面的进展。睡眠越来越被认为是一个重要的研究领域，它也与我们对其他生理功能的理解相关（例如，肥胖流行与睡眠时间短之间的关系）。本次研讨会汇集了睡眠和昼夜节律生物学之间的研究人员，探讨了驱动睡眠昼夜节律和体内平衡控制的潜在机制，提出了睡眠的可能功能，并为该领域的新研究人员提供了一个论坛，与已有的研究人员进行互动，并接触到流行的观点。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is to request support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled "Genetics and Biochemistry of Sleep", organized by Amita Sehgal, Jay C. Dunlap and Emmanuel Mignot, which will be held in Tahoe City, California from March 7-12, 2008. Sleep is increasingly being recognized as an important area of research that is also relevant for our understanding of other physiological functions. Among recent advances are the identification of genes that contribute to sleep disorders (e.g. narcolepsy, advanced sleep phase syndrome), the development of animal, including invertebrate, model systems for sleep, the discovery of sleep-regulating genes and the demonstration of links between sleep and metabolism. In addition, the serious health consequences of disrupted sleep have been rigorously documented. Major questions now are how the timing and duration of sleep are controlled by the circadian and sleep-promoting homeostatic systems, and what essential functions are served by sleep. The proposed program emphasizes the benefits of a cross- disciplinary approach to address the problems posed above. It also highlights the extent to which sleep impacts other aspects of physiology, and the progress towards understanding the molecular basis of sleep disorders. Sleep is increasingly being recognized as an important area of research that is also relevant for our understanding of other physiological functions (e.g., relationship between the rising obesity epidemic and short sleep times). This symposium brings together researchers at the interface between sleep and circadian biology to probe the underlying mechanisms that drive circadian and homeostatic control of sleep, present possible functions of sleep and provide a forum for new researchers in the area to interact with established investigators and be exposed to prevailing ideas.