As in past years, this will be the only meeting held on the subject in 1986. The scope of the meeting--covering as it does very basic questions of RNA structure and function, enzymology and gene regulation, brings together an extraordinarily broad spectrum of scientists. Past meetings have confirmed that this face-to-face contact enhances the field, leads to a number of collaborative interactions, and ensures that the most up-to-date methods of RNA analysis are communicated promptly. The cost of the meeting as requested in direct grants and in fees paid by participants from individual grants is modest compared to the cost of running even one research laboratory. The meeting will be open and attendance will not be limited. A meeting of limited size on new aspects of RNA structure and function will be held at Stony Brook, N.Y., on May 19-21, 1986, organized by Drs. M. Inouye and B. Dudock. This meeting could complement but will not provide a substitute for the RNA Processing Meeting. The problems to be clarified by the Cold Spring Harbor RNA Processing Meeting include the structure of complexes in which messenger RNA splicing takes place; and the role of RNA in catalysis of RNA processing steps in tRNA, rRNA and mRNA biosynthesis. By bringing together experts in RNA structure (including crystallographers) and those studying the way RNA can act as an enzyme, we hope to emphasize solutions to the problem of the structure of RNA """"""""active sites"""""""" in the processing of precursor molecules.
