Breaking Barriers in Intermediate Filament Biology: From Structure to Mechanisms and Targets in Human Diseases

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are composed of one or more members of a large family of mainly cytoskeletal proteins encoded by over 70 genes. These proteins, which typically form 10-nm filaments, are classified into five major types based on their structure and sequence homology. The first four types (I–IV) are cytoplasmic, whereas type V IFs reside in the nucleus. Intermediate filaments are traditionally regarded as major structural proteins of the cell, comprising anywhere from 0.3 to 85% of total cell protein. Recently, intermediate filaments have been linked to the integration of cytoskeletal signaling, and transcriptional processes as well as to the regulation of metabolism, survival, differentiation, development, and immunity. Their significance in physiology and pathophysiology is becoming widely recognized, as more and more human diseases are linked to mutations in cytoskeletal IF gene. These recently established interactions provide a likely explanation for the broad range of diseases and phenotypes that stem from intermediate filament mutations, including premature aging diseases such as progeria, cardiomyopathies, neurodegenerative disorders, numerous forms of muscular dystrophy, as well as blistering diseases of the epidermis, amongst many others. In other diseases abnormal aggregates of IF are now being recognized as factors in motor neuron diseases, Alzheimer's disease and giant axonal neuropathy. Furthermore, intermediate filament proteins can serve as markers of the tissue origin of poorly differentiated tumors, as tumor markers in serum, and as a means of detecting micrometastases.

The goal of this conference will be to focus the presentations and general discussions of regarding changes in our rapidly evolving field and to discuss the broad ramifications of these changes as it relates to human health. The obtained knowledge is consequential for the basic understanding of signal integration in cells and tissues and for the numerous pathological conditions that intermediate filaments are involved in.

The conference sessions will include the following: Roles in Cellular Processes Related to Mechanotransduction, IFs in Development of Cancer, Roles in Cellular Organization, Trafficking, and Organelle Transport, IFs in Signaling and transcriptional control, IFs in Cardiac, Muscular Disorders, and in neuronal degeneration, Functions in Adhesion, Migration and Differentiation, IFs in Protein Misfolding and Stress Response, IFs in Aging and Premature Aging Diseases.

The GRC on intermediate filaments brings together individuals that would not otherwise gather in a similarly intimate scientific forum. The 2016 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Intermediate Filaments, together with the pre-meeting Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will bring together leaders in the field, junior researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to discuss their most recent findings and provide a better understanding of the normal functions of IF and will shed light on how their defective functions contribute to human disease. All applicants are invited to present posters describing their latest research and a number of platform presentations will be chosen from the submitted abstracts in order to ensure inclusion of the latest breakthroughs during the formal sessions.