Plant Epigenetics: From Genotype to Phenotype

Organizer(s): Scott D. Michaels, Doris Wagner and Nathan M. Springer

Supported by the Directors' Fund

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Summary of Meeting:

The modification of chromatin, including DNA and histones, allows for the manifestation of multiple phenotypes from the same DNA sequence. In this way, chromatin modifications contribute to variation at multiple levels, ranging from the expression of individual genes, to the differentiation of cell types, to population-level phenotypic diversity. As sessile organisms, plants also integrate a myriad of environmental cues into different phenotypic or growth responses via the epigenome. Technological advances have facilitated the study of the epigenome in unprecedented detail. This meeting will focus on recent breakthroughs in our mechanistic understanding of how epigenetic modifications shape the expression of genotype into phenotype in plants. Topics include the deposition/removal of chromatin modifications and histone variants, the role of epigenetics in development and response to environmental signals, natural variation and ecology, and applications for epigenetics in crop improvement. Bringing together a diverse group of experts from academia and industry will allow attendees to explore the frontiers of plant epigenetics and forge interdisciplinary collaborations. Given the importance of chromatin modifications in shaping plant development and responses to the environment, unraveling the workings of the epigenome is likely to play a key role in food security in the face of increasing population growth and climate change.

Scholarship Deadline: October 14 2015

Discounted Abstract Deadline: October 14 2015

Abstract Deadline: November 16 2015

Discounted Registration Deadline: December 15 2015

Abstract submission is now closed. Registered attendees may bring a poster onsite. Please contact our office at +1 800-253-0685; +1 970-262-1230 or email info@keystonesymposia.org if you are interested.

We gratefully acknowledge additional in-kind support for this conference from those foregoing speaker expense reimbursements:

DuPont Nutrition and Health

DuPont Pioneer

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

National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant No. 1550703
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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