This proposal seeks support for the fifth bi-annual Gordon Research Conference on Elastin. The conference will provide an important format for the exchange of new information and the development of new concepts concerning the structure of elastin and its precursor, its role as a biological elastomer, the analysis of the elastin gene and the control of its expression at the molecular, cell and tissue levels, elastin-associated macromolecules, enzymatic mechanisms of degradation of elastin and physiological inhibitors of elastolytic enzymes. Most importantly, the format for the 1987 meeting has been arranged to emphasize disease associated with perturbations in elastin content or structure. Lung disease will be a major focus with one session devoted to fibrotic and interstitial diseases and a second session dealing with pulmonary hypertension. in a session devoted to vascular disciplines with expertise on growth factors and inflammatory cell products since these molecules may play an important role in modulating the phenotype of elastin-producing cells. An area of elastin research that has attracted much interest over the past 3-5 years is the investigation of connective tissue diseases in skin. Just as the skin has been used successfully to characterize diseases involving collagen, new and interesting findings have identified genetic as well as environmentally- induced skin diseases associated with elastin. It is felt that scheduling sessions on elastin diseases early in the week will help focus the meeting and should assist subsequent speakers as well as conference attendees in viewing the fundamental biology of the elastin molecule in the context of the disease state. The proposed meeting will bring together basic scientists from a variety of disciplines. Overall, the conference intends to enhance our understanding of the nature of elastin and its role in biology and pathobiology, to critically review current directions of research, and to stimulate new avenues of exploration regarding this important connective tissue protein. Attendees of the previous meetings enthusiastically agree that the Gordon Conference provides a most important format for communication among investigators in this field.
