Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This project supports the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on Photosensory Receptors and Signal Transduction (March 2nd - 8th, 2024). The GRS, which is primarily attended by junior scientists, and the GRC, which features oral and poster presentations by leading researchers in the field, as well as extensive facilitated discussion sessions, will bring together investigators from broad ranging disciplines to discuss and advance our understanding of photosensory systems in biology. Light provides one of the primary environmental stimuli on our planet and Nature has evolved a remarkable repertoire of chromophore-containing macromolecules to allow varied and extensive responses to specific wavelengths and intensities of electromagnetic radiation. The chemistry and biophysics of these systems are rich, complex and bears on our ability to improve methods to harvest energy and control biology with light. Indeed, understanding how light signals are transmitted and processed has the potential to improve plant growth and increase crop yields through optimized photosynthesis and development. Light is also a key factor in plant host-pathogen interactions and thereby relates to disease prevention. Algal photoreception is a critical feature of marine ecosystems and biomass production. Coupled light and temperature perception by plants and algae mediate responses to weather patterns and climate change. Understanding and adapting to these wide-ranging and complex issues requires interdisciplinary approaches. The themes of the GRC and GRS have been chosen to emphasize the most important, universal questions surrounding photoreception and to stimulate the exchange of ideas among diverse researchers to solve them.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
20%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
I. To address the most salient problems in photosensory signal transduction by bridging disciplines and synergizing research methods. The overarching goal of this GRC/GRS is to advance our understanding of photosensory signal transduction from molecular mechanism through to organismal behavior. This ambitious endeavor requires the coordinated efforts of biologists, physiologists, biochemists, structural biologists, biophysicists, mathematicians and engineers. The PRST GRC is historically where such scientists have met to share results and foster collaborations. This need is more pressing than ever as the frontiers of our field are increasingly complex.II. To move in new directions by integrating frontier areas into the PRST GRC. We will highlight exciting new areas that have not been previously emphasized at this GRC. Examples include metagenomic approaches to understanding the evolution and diversity of photoreceptors; high-throughput assessment of protein interactomes in photosignaling proceses; the integration of excited state dynamics with structure through the use of high-energy x-ray sources; application of cryo-EM to photoreceptor structure and function; understanding of how organisms use light to sense magnetic fields; selection methods for engineering signaling pathways; and new approaches to not only design novel photoreceptors but also control their cellular activities.III. To energize participants and inspire far-reaching goals by facilitating discussion and collaboration. A particular goal is for investigators with cutting-edge technical abilities to share this expertise with those focused on salient biological problems and establish collaborations. Techniques of interest are modern high-throughput methods in genetics, phenotypic screening and mass-spectrometry, single particle cryo-EM and whole-cell tomography, microfluidics, single-cell microscopy, advanced vibrational spectroscopy, in vitro reconstitution of signal transduction complexes and computational approaches to systems biology. In balance, we aim for our global thinkers to engage the specialists with the most impactful and important questions of our ever-expanding field.IV. To educate students and postdocs and invest them in the photoreceptor community by creating an open and supportive atmosphere for scientific exchange. Our next generation of scientists will come from GRC participants. The new GRS will stimulate our young community and enhance its mentorship. The PRST community has an established track record of mentoring. The GRS will bolster these efforts by allowing graduate students and postdocs to meet prior to the GRC in a supportive environment with select senior investigators. Here, they will present and discuss their original research, gain valuable experience in a professional atmosphere, and inevitably become more active participants in the GRC. The GRS aims to engage future talent in this exciting scientific community and instill in them a sense of belonging and of responsibility to carry the field into the future. Student and postdoc involvement continues at the GRC meeting where, in addition to the many junior investigators already included in the program, we will select students from the submitted abstracts to give short talks. This proposal will support graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty, who would not otherwise have the means to support their participation in the conference.
Project Methods
The 2024 GRC will be structured and organized according to the successful principles established by the Gordon Research Conference organization (http://www.grc.org). For over 75 years, they have provided a unique setting to bring together scientists from around the world to present and discuss new research at the frontiers of their fields. The overarching goal of all GRCs is to promote the exchange of ideas in order to generate new hypotheses and theories that will fuel future research (http://www.grc.org/about.aspx). This philosophy shapes the meeting, which is structured to create an environment that stimulates communication and collaboration. Hence, each conference is organized according to well-tested guidelines that support discussion and informal conversations outside of the scheduled sessions. Speakers are asked to present unpublished results, thereby accelerating the dissemination of new data, and all participants agree that the information is not for public use. Hence, GRCs cannot be summarized in meeting reports, nor can the talks be recorded. These guidelines are implemented by the GRC staff and communicated to the Chair during a training session. GRC staff assist throughout the meeting with presentation logistics, accommodations and their presence ensures that attendees embrace the philosophy of the conference. Issues surrounding the reproducibility of data, open access publishing and lack of peer review have recently led to an increasing number of paper retractions and withdrawals. The importance of a setting where open discussion takes place in a protected and inclusive environment is crucial to advancing the frontiers of science, while avoiding costly errors.The PRST GRS provides a small, relaxed forum where junior scientists present their research and receive constructive advice from select senior investigators. The PRST GRS will also include a targeted mentoring session to address career issues of young scientists. Together, these meetings will disseminate the cutting-edge discoveries of our field, educate researchers at all career levels, encourage collaborations, and disseminate new approaches for understanding of how light is sensed by biological systems.