This application requests partial funding in support of the 2006 Gordon Conference on Basement Membranes, to be held June 18-23 at II Ciocco, near Barga, Italy. This is the thirteenth in a highly successful series of conferences that have been major international forums for dissemination of new ideas regarding the structure and function of basement membranes. Basement membranes are complex, three-dimensional, extracellular structures formed at epithelial-mesenchymal interfaces and around mesenchymal cells. They play crucial roles in the organization and function of most tissues and organs, including muscle, skin, blood vessels, brain, heart, lung, kidney, and peripheral nerves. Mutations in genes encoding basement membrane components result in severe inherited disorders in humans, e.g. epidermolysis bullosa of skin, congenital muscular dystrophies with associated neural defects, and Alport and Pierson syndromes of kidney. Acquired defects in basement membranes contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular disease and serve as entry sites for infectious agents, such as leprosy, and for metastatic cancer cells. Traditionally, this conference has attracted both senior and junior scientists from a wide range of fields, including protein and carbohydrate structure, gene expression, cell and developmental biology, pathology, and neurobiology. In addition, it has been attended by clinicians and scientists involved in research and/or treatment of human disorders involving basement membrane components. Basement membrane degradation and turnover are of interest to scientists investigating dynamic processes such as angiogenesis, cancer metastasis, embryo implantation, and mammary gland involution. There has also been substantial interest from the biotechnology industry regarding the roles of basement membranes in wound healing, angiogenesis, nerve regeneration, inflammation, and tissue repair. The 2006 Conference will present a diverse mixture of sessions on the basic science of basement membrane structure, biosynthesis, assembly, turnover, and functions. Comparative studies of basement membrane function in vertebrates and invertebrates and the roles of basement membranes and extracellular matrix and their receptors in embryonic development will be addressed. Studies on the genetic analyses of basement membrane functions and the generation of animal models of human basement membrane disorders will be presented. ? ? ? ?
