Virus-host interactions in the nucleus have long been recognized as playing important roles in determining the course of viral infection. DNA viruses such as Polyoma-, Papilloma-, Adeno- and Herpesviruses interact with many of the same host cell pathways, however, each virus family has evolved unique strategies to create a nuclear environment conducive to viral gene expression and productive replication. Investigators studying large DNA viruses usually attend separate meetings from those attended by researchers studying small DNA viruses. This separation of meetings has resulted in situations where investigators studying large DNA viruses, such as herpes, are unaware of what is being done in the small DNA virus field and vice versa despite commonalities in modes of action. Funds are requested to assist in the partial support of a meeting entitled """"""""Manipulation of Nuclear Processes by DNA Viruses"""""""" that will bring together researchers who work on both large and small DNA viruses that replicate in the nucleus to discuss areas of common interest. This meeting will be sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and will be held at the La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico from October 23-27, 2011. This meeting follows up on a previous meeting on this topic that was held in 2008 in Charleston, SC. This is a significant area in virology that is yielding many new and exciting insights into viral pathogenesis. Current research is aimed at understanding how DNA viruses manipulate the nucleus in various ways including interactions with DNA repair, proteosomal, chaperone and stress response pathways. Additional work addresses viral interactions with the host transcriptional machinery and chromatin as well activities localized to the nucleolus. Furthermore, interactions of viral proteins with cellular oncogenes and tumor suppressors are important for viral propagation as well as transformation. All these topics will be discussed in several sessions. We are also excited about emerging and novel types of host-virus interactions. For instance, it is becoming increasingly clear that DNA viruses modulate the expression of cellular miRNAs to regulate cellular pathways as well as having evolved novel strategies to overcome host innate immune surveillance mechanisms that act in the nucleus. The above topics will be addressed in this meeting in the following sessions: 1). viral interactions with DNA repair/recombination machinery 2). viruses and the stress response 3). viral remodeling of the nucleus and telomerase activation 4). viruses and cancer 5). transcriptional control and miRNA regulation 6). Subversion of the innate immune response in the nucleus
DNA viruses are responsible for many diseases caused by infectious agents. Both large and small DNA viruses manipulate cellular processes in the nucleus to promote their productive life cycles and this contributes to the development of a variety of diseases. The ASM sponsored conference entitled """"""""Manipulation of Nuclear Processes by DNA Viruses"""""""" will examine common mechanisms utilized by both large and small DNA viruses for viral pathogenesis and explore exciting new findings in the field. Investigators studying large and small DNA viruses rarely attend a common meeting focused on this important topic. This conference is one of the few that will bring together these groups of investigators to freely share ideas and develop areas of future collaboration.
