Dynamic Structure of the Nuclear Hormone Receptors

描述(申请人提供)：细胞间的通讯对多细胞生物体至关重要。事实上，可以争辩说，交流是多细胞生物体的定义特征之一，因为它允许细胞专门化，并以受控和规范的方式将细胞组织成组织。自第一个类固醇受体cDNA被克隆以来，已经有20年的时间了，这一进展导致了一个配体激活的转录因子超家族的鉴定：核激素受体。核激素受体的天然配体作为细胞内外环境的感受器，在发育、分化、代谢动态平衡和生殖过程中发挥着至关重要的作用。我们对这一重要蛋白质家族的结构、作用机制和生物学的了解已经取得了相当大的进展。然而，认为这些受体具有显著的结构灵活性的区域对核受体的相互作用和功能有深远影响的想法被低估了。2009年美国实验生物学联合会(FASE B)关于核激素受体动态结构的夏季会议的目标是：(1)召集来自核激素受体和蛋白质生物化学/分子生物物理学领域的专家，以促进我们对蛋白质动力学和可用于理解核受体结构与功能关系的方法的了解；(2)通过分享关于核激素受体动态性质的新发现，促进讨论与协作；以及(3)促进年轻研究人员和未被充分代表的少数群体积极参与介绍和讨论他们的工作。这次会议的跨学科性质和形式使其有别于其他关于核激素受体的会议，并建立了一个论坛，用于就这一重要类别的信号蛋白质的动态性质进行公开和富有启发性的讨论。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Communication among cells is of central importance to multi-cellular organisms. Indeed it could be argued that communication is one of the defining features of multi-cellular organisms, as it allows for cell specialization and cell organization into tissues in a controlled and regulated manner. It has been 20 years since the first steroid receptor cDNAs were cloned, a development that led to the identification of a super-family of ligand-activated transcription factors: the nuclear hormone receptors. Natural ligands for nuclear hormone receptors act as sensors of the intracellular and extra-cellular environment and play crucial roles in development, differentiation, metabolic homeostasis, and reproduction. Considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the structure, mechanisms of action, and biology of this important family of proteins. However, the idea that these receptors have regions of significant structural flexibility that have profound effects on nuclear receptor interactions and function is underappreciated. The goals of the 2009 Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Conference on the Dynamic Structure of the Nuclear Hormone Receptors are to (1) bring together experts from the nuclear hormone receptor and protein biochemistry/molecular biophysics fields in order to further our understanding of protein dynamics and methods that could be applied to understand nuclear receptor structure-function relationships, (2) promote discussion and collaboration through sharing new findings on the dynamic nature of nuclear hormone receptors, and (3) foster active participation by young researchers and underrepresented minorities in presenting and discussing their work. The interdisciplinary nature and format of this meeting sets it apart from other meetings held on the nuclear hormone receptors and establishes a forum for open and stimulating discussion on the dynamic nature of this important class of signalling proteins.