The Scope of this Conference
Why a Chlamy conference?
The International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas will be held for the 14th time this year. Since its inception in 1983 this now biennial conference has brought together investigators from widely different fields and disciplines (cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, plant physiology, and genomics) and geographical locations (North America, Asia, Europe and Australia) to discuss new approaches to major scientific problems. Chlamydomonas has been a favorite organism for studying such widely differing topics as the eukaryotic flagellum and basal bodies, and photosynthesis and nuclear/chloroplast genetic interactions. No other forum brings researchers from such different backgrounds together to share new methods and discuss recent results; continued high attendance at all sessions (none of which run concurrently) reflects the desire for interdisciplinary interactions among participants.
What is the scope of this conference?
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii displays many attributes that made the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae a key model organism, but because yeast lack both chloroplasts and flagella/centrioles, Chlamydomonas is the premier model organism for studying these two organelle systems. The Chlamydomonas lineage also includes multicellular “colonial” genera such as Volvox, wherein ~2000 Chlamydomonas-like cells exist within a single organism. The cells differentiate as either somatic (small) or gonidial (large) via asymmetric cleavages, and go on to express different sets of genes. The Chlamydomonas meeting has traditionally included papers on these fascinating organisms, which have proven especially useful for analysis of gametic and somatic cell differentiation, organismal polarity and morphogenesis, and evolution. Topics covered in this year's conference will include:
- The biogenesis and function of Chloroplasts and Mitochondria
- Chlamydomonas as a biofuel source
- Assembly and function of flagella for motility and sensory perception
- Photosynthesis and photoresponses
- The evolution of green algae and multicellularity
- Basal bodies and centrioles
- Development, differentiation, and the sexual cycle
- Gene expression and microRNA
Meeting organization
The sessions will be organized to maximize opportunities for interdisciplinary group discussion and will be complemented by organized poster sessions for detailed presentation of experimental work. Participants will be selected on the basis of their contributions to the session topics, and preference will be given to young researchers, for whom we believe this experience will be of special career significance. Workshops allow the exchange of information about techniques and resources of importance to the Chlamydomonas community. Invited lectures highlight topics of broad interest.