RNA Silencing in Plants

Organizer(s): Robert Martienssen and Craig S. Pikaard

Sponsored by Monsanto Company

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Summary of Meeting:

RNA silencing, and associated small RNA, were first discovered in plants and have widespread biological roles. These include defense against viruses and transposons, as well as epigenetic control of chromatin modifications. However, the impact of small RNA on these biological processes from one generation to the next, their roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, and their importance in evolution, are largely unknown. Furthermore, new roles for small RNA are emerging in areas such as germ cell fate, chromosome organization and recombination and DNA repair. This conference brings together leaders in the field of RNA silencing from around the world with the specific goal of exploring new functions of silencing RNAs in plants, and relating these findings to existing mechanisms. Examples include transgenerational inheritance via post-transcriptional and transcriptional silencing, and the role of small RNA pathways in meiotic specification, asexual reproduction and DNA repair. Participants will explore their implications for real-world problems in plant biotechnology, plant breeding, genetic modification and plant defense, with the goal of finding applications for sustainable agriculture and bioenergy. Furthermore, there has been an explosion of interest in small RNA pathways in animals, and many fundamental mechanisms of RNA silencing discovered in plants have parallels in animals. The meeting therefore explores topics of importance to both agriculture and human health.

Scholarship Deadline: October 16 2014

Discounted Abstract Deadline: October 16 2014

Abstract Deadline: November 13 2014

Discounted Registration Deadline: December 17 2014

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Keystone Symposia thanks our Sponsor(s) for generously supporting this meeting:

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-1461310
The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the National Science Foundation; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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