Partial support is requested for the 1992 Gordon Conference on Animal Cells and Viruses, to be held June 15-19 at the Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire. The focus of this conference alternates on a yearly basis between cells and viruses; in 1992, the emphasis of the meeting will be on the molecular biology of eukaryotic cells. This field has witnessed remarkable advances that have been coupled with a broad expansion in scope and experimental approaches. Molecular cloning, sequencing and gene transfer have confirmed a striking conservation of molecules and physiological pathways across vast evolutionary distances, underscoring the direct relevance of studies of yeast genetics, and of fly and worm development, to our understanding of mammalian cell function. The purpose of this conference is to assemble for discussion a group of scientists at the forefront of research spanning this range of experimental systems and representative of diverse experimental approaches to various cellular phenomena. The meeting will be organized into nine discussion sessions (for oral presentations) and two poster sessions, with ample time for informal exchange of observations and ideas among the approximately 140 participants. The overall goal of the meeting is to build a synthesis and a greater understanding of the interrelationships of the diverse ideas and concepts to be presented. Conferees will represent all levels of scientists from graduate students to senior investigators, and will be drawn broadly from applicants within the academic, governmental and industrial sectors, both within the United States and from foreign countries.
