2009 Cellular Osmoregulation: Sensors, Transducers & Regulators GRC

描述(由申请者提供)：我们请求资助戈登细胞渗透调节和机械转导研究会议(2009年7月5-10日，新英格兰大学，缅因州比德福德)。这些资金将用于支付受邀与会者的会议注册费和/或旅费(包括根据提交的摘要挑选的初级科学家，以及因其卓越的科学能力和促进人类多样性而挑选的额外研究人员)。 本次会议将为生物物理学家、生物化学家、系统生物学家、微生物学家、细胞生物学家和生理学家分析渗透调节和机械转导系统提供一个论坛。细胞外渗透压的波动引起跨膜水和溶质通量，这深刻地扰乱了细胞的结构、细胞质组成和细胞功能。传感器、传感器和调节器通过调节选定溶质的积累和释放来改善这些扰动的后果。由于机械转导不仅是细胞渗透平衡的关键，而且在人类的听觉和触觉中也起着至关重要的作用，并且涉及对渗透压、膜拉伸、振动和触觉等力的感知，这些领域都包括在计划中。在不同生物体中识别渗透调节蛋白和机械转导蛋白的基因提出了重要的新问题，只有通过跨学科合作才能得到解答。渗透压和机械刺激的变化如何被活细胞感知和处理？大分子-水相互作用是如何调节大分子的结构、组装和功能的？高渗或低渗迁移对细胞功能最关键的后果是什么？渗透压调节转运蛋白和机械敏感通道蛋白的分子机制是什么？细胞如何整合各种调控机制？会议将汇集一批处于各自领域前沿的研究人员，并将为初级科学家和研究生提供机会，以海报形式介绍他们的工作，并与该领域的领导人交流意见。将保留时间段，以纳入最新的突破性发展。它的跨学科重点使这次会议与包括NIDDK和NIGMS在内的几个研究所的任务相关。之所以建议将NIDDK分配给NIDDK，是因为它支持那些研究允许肾脏细胞在与肾脏浓缩机制相关的渗透压、盐度和尿素浓度波动的情况下仍能茁壮成长的机制的知名与会者。 大多数细胞，无论是自然环境中的微生物还是构成人体组织一部分的细胞，都会经历渗透波动。感知这些变化并迅速做出反应，防止细胞过度收缩或扩张，对任何活着的物种的福祉都是至关重要的。渗透胁迫反应的感知和信号通路以及生物中传递机械力的系统将在2009年GRC的“细胞渗透调节和机械转导”上公布。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are requesting funds in partial support of the Gordon Research Conference on Cellular Osmoregulation and Mechanotransduction (July 5-10, 2009, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine). These funds will be used to pay conference registration and/or travel expenses for invited conference participants (including junior scientists selected on the basis of submitted abstracts as well as additional investigators selected for the excellence of their science and to foster human diversity). This conference will provide a forum for analysis of osmoregulatory and mechanotransducing systems by biophysicists, biochemists, system biologists, microbiologists, cell biologists and physiologists. Fluctuations in extracellular osmolality elicit transmembrane water and solute fluxes that profoundly perturb cell structure, cytoplasmic composition and cell function. Sensors, transducers and regulators ameliorate the consequences of those perturbations by modulating the accumulation and release of selected solutes. As mechanotransduction is not only key to cellular osmostasis but also plays a crucial role in human hearing and touch, and involves sensing of forces such as osmotic pressure, membrane stretch, vibration, and touch, these areas are included in the program. The identification of genes for osmoregulatory and mechanotransducing proteins in diverse organisms has raised important new questions that can be answered only through interdisciplinary cooperation. How are changes in osmotic pressure and mechanical stimuli sensed and processed by living cells? How do macromolecule-watersolute interactions modulate macromolecular structure, assembly and function? Which consequences of hyper- or hypo-osmotic shifts are most critical to cell function? What are the molecular mechanisms of osmoregulatory transporters and mechanosensitive channel proteins? How does a cell integrate the various regulatory mechanisms? The Conference will bring together a collection of researchers who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Time slots will be reserved for the inclusion of the most recent breakthrough developments. Its inter-disciplinary focus renders this conference relevant to the missions of several Institutes including NIDDK and NIGMS. Assignment to NIDDK is proposed since it supports prominent conference participants who study mechanisms that allow kidney cells to thrive despite the fluctuating osmolality, salinity and urea concentration associated with the renal concentrating mechanism. Most cells, be it microorganisms in their natural environment or cells forming part of a human tissue, experience osmotic fluctuations. Sensing of these changes and rapidly responding to prevent cells from shrinking or expanding too much is crucial for the well being of any living species. The sensing and signaling pathways underlying the osmotic stress responses and the systems that transduce the mechanic forces in biology will be presented at the 2009 GRC 'Cellular Osmoregulation and Mechanotransduction'.