Regulation and function of small GTPase
Aussois (French Alps), France, June 17-21, 2009
Deadline for application: April 1rst, 2009
Chairperson:Anne Debant
Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, UMR 5237 CNRS,
1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
Phone: +33 4 67 61 33 57 - Fax: +33 4 67 52 15 59
Mail: anne.debant@crbm.cnrs.fr
Vice-Chairperson: Michael J. Williams
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen,
Tillydrone Avenue, AB24 2TZ Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 12 24-27 32 55 – Fax: +44 12 24 27 23 96
Mail: m.j.williams@abdn.ac.uk
Ras-like small GTP-binding proteins (SMGs) are essential regulators of multiple cellular processes such as signal transduction, dynamics of the cytoskeleton and membrane trafficking. Because of this, they are involved in numerous physiological processes including cell proliferation, polarity, adhesion, migration, and differentiation of numerous cell types. Given their pivotal role in these normal and developmentally regulated processes, it is not surprising that SMGs are also involved in an amazing variety of pathological human conditions such as uncontrolled cell proliferation, metastasis or angiogenesis during tumor development, inflammation and vascular diseases, mental retardation, and infections. Because of all these reasons, the SMG field has always been an intensive and very competitive area of research.
Currently, the challenge is to understand how SMGs and their regulators and effectors interact, assemble signaling pathways and eventually function in vivo. Specificity of interactions and signalling remains one of the prominent issues. In the last 20 years most of the research effort has been on identifying proteins, yet the function of each member of these families is still not clear. Questions such as specificity towards their target in vivo, spatio-temporal regulation within the cell, contribution of these proteins in interaction networks and in pathological processes, and design of specific inhibitors for therapeutical applications remain to be solved. The meeting on SMGs will be an occasion to discuss these issues and find new technical approaches to unravel these questions.
Invited speakers
(provisional titles)
ANTONNY Bruno (Valbonne, France)
Membrane curvature recognition in Arf1-driven events
BAR SAGI Dafna (New York, USA)
Function of Ras GTPase
BLANGY Anne (Montpellier, France)
Chemical Inhibitors of GEFs
BOS Johannes L. (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
The Rap1 signalling pathway in cell adhesion
BUSTELO Xosé (Salamanca, Spain)
New aspects of the regulation of Vav family proteins and their participation in disease states
CHERFILS Jacqueline (Gif sur Yvette, France)
Structural studies of GTPase/GEF complexes
COLLARD John (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Function of RhoGEFs in cell polarity and metastasis
COTÉ Jean-François (Montréal, Canada)
Function of DOCK proteins
DEBANT Anne (Montpellier, France)
Function of Rho GEFs in neuronal development
DE MATTEIS Antonella (Santa Maria Imbaro, Italy)
Lipid-protein interactions in cell signalling and membrane trafficking
DONALDSON Julie (Bethesda, USA)
Arf functioning in endosomal membrane systems
D’SOUZA-SCHOREY Crislyn (Notre Dame, USA)
Function of Arf GTPase
FAMULOCK Michael (Bonn, Germany)
Aptamers as SMG inhibitors
GAUTHIER-ROUVIERE Cécile (Montpellier, France)
Rho GTPases in normal and pathological skeletal muscle development
GOULD Bruno (Paris, France)
Interaction between Rab6 golgi GTPase, and actin dependant molecular engines
HOFLACK Bernard (Dresden, Germany)
Proteomics approaches of Golgi and lysosomal traffic
HOUDUSSE Anne (Paris, France)
Structural determinants for the specificity of G-protein/effector complexes
JACKSON Cathy (Gif sur Yvette, France)
Arf GEFs and ER-Golgi trafficking
KIEL Christina (Barcelona, Spain)
Structural systems biology approaches to study signal transduction involving Ras-effector interactions
LAMARCHE-VANE Nathalie (Montreal, Canada)
Rho GTPase signalling in axon guidance
LOIRAND Gervaise (Nantes, France)
Rho-GTPases in the cardiovascular system
MARSHALL Chris (London, United Kingdom)
GTPase signalling pathways in cell migration
PERTZ Olivier (Basel, Switzerland)
Spatio-temporal Rho GTPase signaling programs in cell migration and neuritogenesis.
RIDLEY Anne (London, United Kingdom)
Rho GTPases and leukocyte migration
ROY Craig (New Haven, USA)
Signaling during pathogen infection
SYKES Cécile (Paris, France)
Influence of cytoskeletal dynamics on membranes
VAN AELST Linda (Cold Spring Harbor, USA)
Regulators of Rho GTPases in neuronal development and disorders
WAY Michael (London, United Kingdom)
Signaling during pathogen infection
WITTINGHOFFER, Alfred, (Dortmund, Germany)
Structural studies of GTPase/GEF complexes
WILLIAMS Michael (Aberdeen, United Kingdom)
Rho GTPases in the Drosophila cellular immune response
Deadline for application: April 1rst, 2009
Registration fee (including board and lodging)
400 € for PhD students
650 € for other participants
Application for registration
The total number of participants is limited to about 115 and all participants are expected to attend for the whole duration of the conference. Selection is made on the basis of the affinity of potential participants with the topics of the conference. Scientists and PhD Students interested in the meeting should send:
- their curriculum vitae
- the list of their main publications for the 3 last years
- the abstract of their presentation
to the Chairperson of the conference before the deadline. After it, the chairman will select the participants. Except in some particular cases approved by the Chairperson, it is recommended that all selected participants present their work during the conference, either in poster form or by a brief in- session talk. The organizers choose the form in which the presentations are made. No payment will be sent with application. Information on how and when to pay will be mailed in due time to those selected.