Emerging Mechanisms of Epigenetic Regulation

Organizer(s): Jeannie T. Lee and Vicki L. Chandler

Sponsored in part by the Director's Sponsor Fund

Summary of Meeting:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Epigenetics is an exciting and very rapidly moving field that impacts basic science, clinical medicine and agriculture. While an understanding of underlying processes is just beginning to emerge, basic questions about how epigenetic processes work and whether diverse processes share underlying mechanisms remain mysterious. This conference will attempt to find common themes and differences among epigenetic phenomena across all phyla (yeast, plants, animals). The meeting will emphasize the diversity of the phenomena and emerging paradigms for their control. As is becoming increasingly clear, overtly different processes find surprisingly similar strategies of regulation. Emphasis will also be placed on how epigenetic mechanisms affect clinical and agricultural interests. Upon completion of this conference, participants should be able to: - Recognize epigenetic processes across various taxa (plants, animals, yeast), including imprinting, allelic exclusion, transvection, cosuppression, quelling, and RIP/MIP. - Appreciate that these mechanisms may have evolved to regulate gene dosage, to maintain genome integrity, to defend against viruses and transposons. - Idenfity potential mediators of epigenetic phenomena such as RNA, DNA methylation, and chromatin modifiers. - Begin to recognize possible mechanistic links among diverse species and processes. - Understand how anomalies in epigenetic processes can lead to disease or and how therapeutic strategies might be design. - Emphasis is placed on imprinting disorders, genome integrity, animal cloning, cancer, and prions. - Appreciate the agricultural implications of epigenetics, such as those relating to plant viral defense mechanisms, animal cloning, and imprinting.

Discounted Abstract Deadline: September 22 2003

Discounted Registration Deadline: November 21 2003

We gratefully acknowledge additional support for this conference from:

We gratefully acknowledge the generous grant for this conference provided by:

National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant No. MCB-0353041

We appreciate the organizations that provide Keystone Symposia with additional support, such as marketing and advertising:

Click here to view more of these organizations

Special thanks to the following for their support of Keystone Symposia initiatives to increase participation at this meeting by scientists from underrepresented backgrounds:

Click here to view more of these organizations