We are organizing the 3rd International Conference on Muscle Energetics involving scientists from the United States, Japan, Europe, Canada, Australia & New Zealand. The conference will be held in Yufuin, Japan, hosted by the University of Oita. Based on responses (190) to our announcement, 100-120 participants are anticipated with 50% being American. This can be compared to 66 (1977) and 95 (1984) at the previous meetings held in Vermont. We anticipate that the additional expense associated with this location for Americans will be offset by the additional sources of funds available through Japanese sources. Furthermore, this location permits a greater level of interaction with younger Japanese investigators, not possible at the Vermont location, and the basis for future scientific exchange. The conference goals are: A) identify and examine important problems requiring solutions in muscle energetics, B) discuss interdisciplinary and comparative strategies for dealing with these problems, and C) relate new findings to other aspects of muscle contraction, particularly those areas in which the approach of muscle energetics offer unique solutions. Our conference plan, based on previous meetings stresses both oral presentations and integral poster sessions, enabling a mix of established scientists and young investigators in the program. We plan 9 sessions, 8 sessions will consist of oral presentations on: energetics and crossbridge cycling in skeletal muscle (2); smooth muscle energetics, mechanics and metabolism (2); NMR studies of contractile systems; energetics and kinetics of model contractile systems; covalent and genetic modulation of muscle energetics; and energetics of cardiac muscle. In addition to daily discussion of posters, the final session will be devoted to issues raised in the posters in relation to the critical issues raised at the oral sessions with an emphasis on achieving a consensus as to what has been accomplished and what new directions are most fruitful. The conference has been advertised through mailings to the Biophysical Society's Contractility Subgroup, the American Physiological Society's Myo-Bio Group, and attendees of past meetings. Advertisements in the various society newsletters, Science, Nature and J. Muscle Research are also planned. Key U.S. and Foreign participants have been selected and all have expressed an interest in the meeting. We believe it is of vital importance that the Proceedings of the Conference are published and have initiated negotiations with a publisher, noted for rapid publication. Partial support is requested to defray 67% of the travel expenses for 25 key American participants and minimum per diem. 60% of the anticipated costs are to be raised from Japanese and other sources. This conference to our knowledge is the only one within the past four years in which a broad group of scientists will focus on the mechanisms underlying contractility and its regulation in smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscle from the unique viewpoint of muscle energetics.
