The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Conference: Structure, Function and Disease

Federation Of Amer Societies For Exper Biology, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support a FASEB Meeting on the structure, function, and relationship to disease of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), to be held June 11-15, 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront Hotel in Melbourne, FL. Meeting attendees will include graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as senior researchers, that will gather to discuss our understanding of all aspects of the biology and function of the ER, the complex structure that surrounds the cell nucleus and which regulates the formation and destruction of proteins and fats in cells. Talks will be presented on topics such as how proteins are formed and modified to function within and outside of cells, how fat levels are regulated in the cell, and how the ER senses and responds to stress to maintain its essential functions. In addition to formal talks, engagement will be facilitated by two extended poster sessions to stimulate interactions between researchers. NSF support will be used to defray travel and registration costs, to provide childcare support for children of attendees, and to allow attendance of participants during early stages of their careers, especially members of groups underrepresented in this field. The endoplasmic reticulum is an essential, and arguably the most complex, organelle present within all eukaryotic cells. ER function is central to the synthesis and turnover of both proteins and lipids, and the ER contains robust stress response pathways that serve to augment ER function in response to potentially toxic conditions or developmental cues. The meeting will bring together seasoned investigators with students and early-career scientists in both formal talks and discussion sessions to encourage informal discussion and the sharing of the latest research results on the synthesis, folding, and turnover of proteins, lipid dynamics and storage, ER structural remodeling and ER-organellar communication, and the unfolded protein response. Recent advances in the field, including new technological capabilities, will be highlighted. This award is funded by the Cellular Dynamics and Function Cluster of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Directorate for Biological Sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.