The grant will be used solely to fund travel, registration, and subsistence for participants in the Gordon Research Conference on Epithelial Differentiation to be held August 3-7, 1987 in Tilton, NH. Participants involved in investigated techniques germane to epithelial differentiation will be invited. Invitation will not be limited to investigators working on epithelia. Investigators dedicated to biology of epithelial differentiation will be exposed to state-of-the-art investigative techniques and their interpretation. Conversely, investigators from other areas will be exposed to the biological problems of epithelial differentiation. Nine major themes will be developed and discussed during the meeting. The meeting is arranged in a sequence beginning with the most molecular topics and graduating in degree of complexity to the formation of complicated tissues. In addition to the formal presentations, there is ample opportunity for discussion and poster presentations. The themes and the overall organization of the meeting are as follows: 1. Genetic regulation and introduction of exogenous genetic material into keratinocytes 2. Cell kinetics and proliferation 3. Cytoskeletal and other structural proteins in epithelial cells 4. Epithelial cell membranes and basement membranes 5. Protein kinase regulated events 6. Epidermal lipids 7. Hormones, vitamins, growth factors and their control 8. Dermal-epidermal interactions in development 9. Complex tissue formation and regulation
