MOVING CELLS - FROM MOLECULES TO ANIMALS

Outline of the meeting:
The meeting is proposed to explore the molecular basis of cytoskeletal involvement in “bottom-up” organization of cells and tissues. The conference will initiate with the more structural and biophysical aspects of cytoskeleton and associated proteins, and move gradually through regulation and signaling to cell motility of individual cells in animals. From organisms, to tissues, to individual cells and their organelles, organization and coordination are central to the function of living systems. Dedicated transport machines are responsible for generating and maintaining organization at every scale. At the deepest level of molecular biochemistry, the cytoskeleton is involved in all aspects of intracellular traffic. The availability of filamentous actin and microtubule networks, with their associated motor proteins, provides for long-distance delivery and signaling within the cell. A recent convergence of techniques, ranging from genetics to biophysics, reveals the deep integration of cytoskeletal transport in an expanding repertoire of molecular mechanisms. These include spatial control of protein expression by localization of mRNA, active centripetal transport on microtubules of proteins destined for import to the nucleus, and the use of microtubules and actin-associated structures as cytoplasmic anchorage sites for important signaling factors. These intracellular structures and dynamics are reflected in higher-order functions such as differentiation, cellular motility, adhesion, and tissue generation. Hereditary diseases involving malformation of complex tissues may be caused by mutations in proteins associated with the cytoskeleton or relying on its transport functions. Infectious viruses, as well as invasive bacterial pathogens, often co-opt the functions of cytoskeletal transport in causing disease. Much has been learned about normal physiology by the study of such disease models.