FASEB CONFERENCE ON TGF-BETA SUPERFAMILY

Federation Of Amer Soc For Exper Biology, Bethesda MD

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) This application is for partial funding for the 2001 FASEB Summer Conference on "The TGF-Beta superfamily: Signaling and Development". This conference will be held from July 7 to July 12 in Tucson, Arizona under the auspices of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and will be organized by Drs. Anita Roberts (The National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD) and Rik Derynck (University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA). Nine sessions with a total of 32 speakers, each presenting a 30 minute talk, are planned. Additionally, short talks selected on the basis of the poster presentation abstracts are planned as well. Finally, two poster sessions, each spread over two afternoons will take place. Research during the last five to ten years has led to the appreciation that secreted growth and differentiations factors belonging to the TGF-Beta superfamily play key roles in tissue differentiation, patterning and development of multicellular organisms from C.elegans and drosophila to mammals. Recent progress has also allowed the characterization of the receptors and signaling pathways for the TGF-Beta-related factors. This rapid progress therefore brings very important new insights into the mechanisms that regulate cell physiology and behavior and organismal development. This knowledge may help us better understand the basis for developmental anomalies and may provide new avenues to manipulate cell differentiation and development. The nine sessions will integrate a spectrum of complementary relevant topics. Considerable attention will be given the signaling mechanisms, i.e., the receptors and signaling effectors, of TGF-Beta -related factors, and how they regulate the cell physiology. Several talks will address how they crosstalk with and are regulated by other signaling pathways, while other talks will discuss our insights into this crosstalk through genetic analyses of Drosophila and C.elegans development. The role of TGF-Beta related factors in development of C.elegans, Drosophila and vertebrates will be thoroughly covered, while other talks will focus on the role of signaling by TGF-Beta- related factors in cell differentiation and development of defined organs or organ systems. Together, the presentations should comprehensively cover our current insights into the developmental role and signaling mechanisms of TGF- Beta-related factors and provide an integration of the different research areas.