Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled DNA Replication and Recombination, organized by Drs. John F.X. Diffley, Anja Groth and Scott Keeney. The conference will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from April 2-6, 2017. DNA replication and recombination are common to all cells. Errors in these processes lead to many diseases in humans, including cancer, and many fundamental questions are still unresolved. Due to recent technical advances in microscopy and other techniques, these dynamic processes can now be studied in time and space in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Moreover, breakthroughs in the biochemical reconstitution of processes in DNA replication and recombination repair as well as single particle electron microscopy promise to reveal new mechanisms at near-atomic resolution; and new DNA sequencing technologies make it possible to study these key processes in great details. Mechanistic similarities across the three domains of life provide new basic principles while differences identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention. This series has historically been one of the premiere conferences in this field and one of the very few that brings together scientists working in replication and recombination across all life forms. Because of the close relationship between DNA replication and recombination and their importance for genome stability, this conference will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposia conference on Genomic Instability and DNA Repair. Talks at the DNA Replication and Recombination conference will focus on the mechanism and regulation of these processes, with an emphasis on multiple organisms and multiple approaches. Talks in joint sessions will center on the metabolism of stalled replication forks and the importance of chromatin in replication, recombination and genome stability.
Replication and recombination are central for genome maintenance in all organisms and, in humans, defects in DNA replication and recombination have been associated with cancer predisposition and cellular transformation. Furthermore, defects in genome maintenance may drive tumor heterogeneity and consequently drive cancer evolution, metastasis and drug resistance. The Keystone Symposia conference on DNA Replication and Recombination will present and discuss cutting-edge research on DNA replication and recombination, as well as address key challenges and barriers to progress in the field.
