The 2020 Annual Meeting on Protein Folding on the Ribosome will be held at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD on December 11-13, 2020. Nascent protein folding, targeting and quality control are key to ensuring proper cellular function. Understanding nascent protein folding and behavior in cells presents theoretical and experimental challenges that are being tackled in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary and growing research arena. This meeting will be attended by an international cohort of scientists, and will promote sharing of new knowledge and stimulate new collaborative research efforts both within and outside of the US. Travel assistance to graduate students and postdocs will promote training of the future STEM workforce, notably through networking opportunities with international researchers specializing in a variety of disciplines.
The past few decades have seen an explosive growth in information about genomic sequences and the structures of the proteins they encode. The intersection of these two realms, at which polypeptides are synthesized by the ribosome, is still comparatively poorly explored. The focus of this meeting will be on emergent topics, including nascent polypeptide chain structure and folding, regulation of translation, and nascent chain targeting and translocation to membranes. The overall goals will be to: i) provide an overview of recent progress and identify the most pressing challenges; ii) identify limitations of currently available methodologies and foster ideas for developing novel approaches; and iii) promote knowledge exchange and collaboration between and among experimental, theoretical and computational researchers. Thus, the meeting will serve as a platform for scientists to continue to advance understanding of different facets of protein biogenesis and how they enable cellular function and complexity.
This meeting is supported by the Molecular Biophysics and the Genetic Mechanisms programs of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Biological Sciences Directorate.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
