This application seeks partial support for the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference on Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements to be held July 14?19, 2019 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The 2019 Conference will be the 18th in a series of highly successful biennial conferences devoted to these topics. This conference aims to join investigators studying many diverse aspects of genetic recombination, in a range of biological systems and with different experimental approaches. Presentations will introduce new and unpublished work on timely questions in the field and will include discussion from all participants. The FASEB conference provides unique opportunities for the exchange of information and technology that can be appreciated and exploited across the recombination field. Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements covers many areas of significance for cancer. Homologous recombination is an important mechanism for preventing genome rearrangements that can promote the oncogenic state, and many genes/proteins involved in the mechanisms and regulation of recombination have been identified as tumor suppressors. Hence, studies of recombination mechanisms are paramount to understanding the etiology of cancer, to developing critical biomarkers, and to identifying potential candidate tumor suppressors. In addition, induction of systemic or localized DNA damage by chemotherapy or radiation remains a major modality of anti-cancer treatment. The types of relevant DNA damages include DNA double- strand breaks and interstrand crosslinks, and recombination is a central cellular pathway to repair such damage. Therefore, increased knowledge on the regulation and mechanism of these repair processes will provide fundamental understanding to inform novel strategies of anti-cancer treatment leading to more efficacious treatment. This conference joins investigators studying many diverse aspects of genetic recombination, in a range of biological systems and with different experimental approaches. Presentations will introduce new and unpublished work on timely questions in the field and will encourage discussion from all participants. Several timely issues will be discussed, including the role of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 in the control of recombination, the role of recombination in repair of DNA damage caused by cancer treatment relevant drugs and radiation. Characterization of recombination and repair factors known to underlie human syndromes with propensity to cancer, premature aging, immune dysfunction and neurological degeneration will also be discussed, using mammalian and other model genetic systems. In addition, new insights from next generation sequencing approaches and novel cutting-edge technologies for genome editing will be discussed. By emphasizing truly exceptional research in a conference setting that fosters direct interaction, the FASEB conference provides unique opportunities for the exchange of information, technology and perspective among new and established investigators in the recombination field.
The subjects covered in Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements involve several topics of direct significance for cancer: (1) many genes/proteins involved in the mechanisms and regulation of recombination have already been identified as tumor suppressor genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, BLM, and mismatch repair proteins; (2) induction of systemic or localized DNA damage by chemotherapy or radiation, respectively, constitute major modalities of anti-cancer treatment, and these types of DNA damage, including DNA double-stranded breaks and interstrand crosslinks, are substrates for the recombinational repair pathways; and (3) many cancers are associated with genome rearrangements that alter gene regulation to induce the oncogenic state. Therefore, mechanistic understanding of these processes is paramount for an improved understanding of the etiology of cancer, for identification of critical biomarkers, and to develop novel strategies of anti- cancer treatment leading to more efficacious treatment and avoidance of side effects. This conference brings together the leading principal investigators studying the mechanisms and regulation of genetic recombination.
