Conference: Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation, May 26-28, Columbia, MO

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit Protein phosphorylation is an enzyme mediated reaction in which a phosphate is added to a protein to alter its function. Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation play key roles in many aspects of plant biology, including control of cell division, pathways of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, pattern formation, hormonal responses, and abiotic and biotic responses to environmental signals. The 2010 Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation, which will be held from May 26-28, 2010, on the Columbia campus of the University of Missouri, represents the only U.S. meeting to focus on this fundamental biochemical process as a unifying theme. The symposium will provide an interdisciplinary venue in which scholars studying protein modification, as it relates to a broad range of biological questions and using a variety of plant species, can meet and share their research. It also will provide a unique international forum to examine challenges and emerging paradigms in studies of protein phosphorylation. The symposium will be organized to promote interactions across disciplines in hopes of stimulating new research collaborations. Emphasis will also be placed on inclusion of young investigators,as speakers, poster presenters, and attendees. The symposium, which is expected to draw between 200 and 250 worldwide participants, is a unique opportunity to facilitate rapid dissemination of acquired knowledge and technical expertise regarding protein phosphorylation in plants. Broader Impacts Because protein phosphorylation is critical to many aspects of plant biology a better understanding of this post-translational control mechanism will contribute the production of crops with higher yields and insights into how plants might cope with a changing environment. The Symposium on Plant Protein Phosphorylation will bring together a diverse group of international scholars studying a fundamental biological process in plants from varying disciplinary angles. In so doing, this symposium will provide a unique platform from which research between disciplines can flow and interact. Organized and hosted by the Interdisciplinary Plant Group at the University of Missouri every three years since 1990, the symposium will include a concerted effort to broaden participation of undergraduate students, particularly those from smaller and minority-serving institutions, as well as female research scientists. The symposium also will enhance networking opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and will create a venue to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects for faculty and students.