9722435 Agris Many different groups are using a variety of approaches to understand the plasticity of RNA and how RNA structure is recognized by other RNAs and small molecules. A symposium on RNA will thus be very timely. Nine major researchers (from the USA, Europe, and Canada) have accepted invitations to speak at a Symposium on October 17-19, 1997, in the North Carolina Research Triangle. With the acknowledgement and recognition of the RNA Society, researchers in North Carolina have formed a "chapter", the RNA Society of North Carolina, which is responsible for organizing and funding the Symposium on RNA Biology. The objectives of this symposium are as follows: 1. Promote communication in this important research area of RNA structure/function relationships in a focused manner not obtainable at regular society, or other group meetings; 2. Provide an educational experience for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in a setting conducive to open discussions with established investigators who have broad experience in the field of RNA interactions; 3. Stimulate discussion and the sharing of ideas and techniques by principals as well as by postdoctoral fellows and students; and 4. Bring researchers to a venue where three major universities, federal research institutions and laboratories, and many corporate research centers are located. RNA research has spawned a dozen biotechnology companies in the US alone and has been funded extensively by several large, well-established corporations, including those in North Carolina's Research Triangle. RNA synthesis, chemistry, structure and function are central to the viability of all biological systems. Research in these areas has led to biotechnological applications of RNA as both target and reagent. New and exciting RNA structures have been discovered that are both potential targets and tools, and are revealing interesting new functional modes of interaction with proteins. This meeting will focus on this area and will serve as a forum for sharing data and techniques. ***
