After decades of a protein-centric view of gene regulation, it has become clear that the control of gene expression by regulatory RNAs is equally important (1-2). New small and large noncoding RNA molecules continue to be discovered at a staggering rate in bacterial model organisms as well as in the transcriptomes of bacterial communities (3-5). Newly discovered structural and functional aspects of such RNAs have reached a degree of breadth that requires a meeting with a strong focus on bacterial RNA research to fully address the diversity of these new regulators of gene expression and bring together the scientists involved in these studies. Regulating with RNA in Bacteria will be the first conference dedicated to this topic and will be a premier forum for the presentation of cutting-edge advances and the latest perspectives in the areas of discovery, mechanisms and structure of bacterial riboregulators. Funds are requested to provide partial support for this meeting, which will be held on March 7-11, 2011, in Cancun, Mexico. The conference is sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), which provides both management expertise and financial support. We have carefully chosen 31 invited speakers with high international visibility, known affability and effectiveness to maximize the breadth and timeliness of presented work. Our program will cover prominent and emerging roles of RNAs in regulatory networks, and on current understanding of mechanisms of action for diverse RNAs. One session will be dedicated to other molecules that impact sRNA function, including ribonucleases, which are both friend and foe of regulatory RNAs, as well as RNA-binding proteins. Another session will focus on structural analyses of RNAs, which have lagged behind protein-related work. Systems and synthetic approaches to studying and using riboregulators, as well as emerging mechanisms of RNA-based immunity against invading genetic elements will complete the program. In addition to the invited scientists from around the world, the program will include 20 speakers selected from submitted abstracts to provide flexibility in programming to include cutting-edge advances and to promote high visibility of rising young investigators. The main goal of the meeting is to bring together researchers that use different approaches to study different aspects of RNA regulation in divergent bacterial systems, thus facilitating cross- fertilization of ideas among investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students studying a variety of bacteria.
Bacteria constitute the largest class of infectious agents, causing devastating diseases in humans, animals and plants in both the developed and developing world. Our understanding of control of bacterial gene expression, which forms the basis for successful prevention and treatment strategies, until recently has neglected the many roles that RNA plays in pathogens as well as commensal organisms. Recognizing the high pace of discovery in RNA research and its great potential for therapeutic interventions, this conference will foster a better understanding of how regulatory RNAs might be exploited as new drug targets in order to treat and prevent disease at a particularly critical time when the pipeline of conventional antibiotics is waning.
| Storz, Gisela; Vogel, Jörg; Wassarman, Karen M (2011) Regulation by small RNAs in bacteria: expanding frontiers. Mol Cell 43:880-91 |
