This proposal seeks support for the Gordon Research Conference on Bacterial Cell Surfaces, which will be held June 24-June 29, 2018 at Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT. The meeting focuses on the molecular and cellular aspects of bacterial cell envelope structure and function; and the relationship of this critical cellular compartment to drug development and human health. This program is diverse in topics, model systems, and approaches, combining biochemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, biophysics, cell biology, molecular genetics, modeling and drug development. There will be 9 sessions: 1) Plasma membrane processes; 2) Building the cell wall; 3) Cell Division and Morphogenesis; 4) A dynamic cell wall; 5) Outer membrane biogenesis and function; 6) Cell envelope macromolecular machines; 7) Cell surfaces - a barrier and a target for antibacterials; 8) Bacterial communities/microbiome; 9) Cell Biology of the envelope. Speaker presentations cover their latest, mostly unpublished, and most exciting research. We accomplish this by selecting a group of leading scientists exemplifying diverse approaches, expertise, experimental model, seniority and gender, including many young rising stars, with an eye to diversity. Additionally, we continue the highly successful Gordon Research Seminar for postdocs and graduate students, and will ask GRS participants to select 2 talks from that meeting for presentation at the GRC, furthering participation by younger members of the field. The format of the meeting and its collegial atmosphere, with ample discussion time in the program, as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, stimulates open scientific discussions and fosters interdisciplinary collaborations. Moreover, the diversity of topics and approaches, as well as the interplay between basic science and applications to human health stimulates cross field collaborations in areas of practical interest to the biomedical community such as: pathogenesis, antibiotic action and resistance, and host-microbe interactions, as many of these phenomena involve processes at the level of membranes, cell walls and cell surface. This conference will thus provide a platform for future developments of vaccine and antibacterial strategies.
Bacteria are essential for both human health and disease. The surface of bacteria is critical for these functions as it protects them from the harsh host environment while allowing them to interact with each other and the host. This meeting studies all aspects of the assembly and function of the bacterial surface, and how it relates to health and disease, stimulating exchange between scientists to further research in this critical area.
