This application requests partial funding for the support of invited speakers for the 2004 Gordon Conference on Basement Membranes. This is the twelfth in a highly successful series of conferences which are a major international forum for dissemination of new ideas and information about the structures and functions of basement membranes (BMs). These are complex, three-dimensional, extracellular structures formed at epithelial-mesenchymal interfaces and around mesenchymal cells, with important roles in the organization and function of most tissues and organs, e.g., muscle, skin, blood vessels, heart, lung, kidney, and peripheral nerves. For example, basement membranes regulate the migration and organization of ceils in the musculoskeletal system, as well as axons and synapses in the nervous system. Mutations in genes encoding basement membrane components result in severe inherited disorders in humans (e.g. epidermolysis bullosa of skin, congenital muscular dystrophies with associated neural defects, Alport syndrome of kidney). Acquired defects in basement membranes also contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular disease and serve as entry sites for infectious agents, such as leprosy, and for metastatic cancer cells. Traditionally, the conference has attracted scientists from a wide range of fields in basic research, including protein and carbohydrate structure, gene expression, cell and developmental biology, and neurobiology. In addition, it has been attended by clinicians and scientists involved in research and/or treatment of human disorders involving BM components of lung, blood vessels, skin, kidney, bone, muscle and immune systems. Basic studies of BM degradation and turnover are also of interest to scientists investigating dynamic processes such as angiogenesis, cancer metastasis, embryo implantation, and involution of the mammary gland and uterus. There has been substantial interest from clinicians and scientists in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries studying the roles of BMs in wound healing, angiogenesis, nerve regeneration, inflammation, and tissue repair. The Conference will present a diverse mixture of sessions on the basic science of basement membrane and extracellular matrix (ECM) structure, biosynthesis, assembly, turnover, and functions. Comparative studies of BM function in vertebrates and invertebrates, and the roles of BM and ECM in embryonic development and embryonic stem cells will be included. In addition, emphasis will be given to studies on the genetic analyses of BM and ECM functions, and the generation of animal models of human BM disorders.
