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Intermediate Filaments

Gordon Research Conference

Intermediate Filaments as the Platform to Underpin the "Social Network" of Cells and Tissues

June 24 - 29, 2018

Chair

Vice Chairs

and

Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco

Via Giovanni Pascoli

Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The biennial Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Intermediate Filaments has been meeting since 1990 and brings together a lively and diverse group of scientists from various fields of cell biology, biomedical engineering, mechano- and stem cell biology and their application in clinical and biopharma arenas. It is the role that intermediate filaments play in the integration of both intra- and inter-cellular processes and signals that marks them out as the most important "social networking" platform in cell biology. The goal of this meeting is to not only highlight the very best and exciting work that is happening in our field, but also to spur new ideas and collaborations for all attendees across the biomedical, clinical and pharma spectra. The program will feature an exciting selection of invited speakers along with presentations based on submitted abstracts. We will also plan to have one or more "Poster Preview" sessions at the end of morning sessions for poster presenters to highlight their research in quick-fire talks. The COST Action EuroCellNet has provided funding to support the attendance of scientists from countries within their network. All of the sessions in the conference are fully aligned with the program and mission of the COST Action EuroCellNet.

The 2018 GRC meeting will take place from June 24-29, 2018 at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Conference Center in Lucca (Barga), Italy. It is chaired by Milos Pekny with the support of Jan Lammerding and Roy Quinlan as vice-chairs. Our GRC meeting is preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) led by Clarissa Koch and Oscar Stassen on June 23-24th. The GRS will take "Turning scientific discoveries into products and therapeutics" as their theme and will be an exciting opportunity for graduate students, postdocs, and early career researchers to become involved in the intermediate filament community. Please help us spread the word and encourage your students and postdocs to attend!

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Intermediate Filaments" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	IFs as Critical Regulators in Health and Disease Discussion Leaders: and
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader: IFs in Health and Disease: Unifying Themes, Emerging Concepts
8:00 pm - 8:25 pm	"Newly Defined Roles for Keratins in and Around the Nucleus"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:00 pm	"Tissue Rheology in Disease Pathogenesis"
9:00 pm - 9:10 pm	Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	CNS: IFs in Neurodegeneration, Neuroplasticity and Regeneration Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	"Targeting GFAP as a Treatment Strategy in Alexander Disease"
9:15 am - 9:25 am	Discussion
9:25 am - 9:40 am	"GFAP and Reactive Gliosis in Neurodegenerative Diseases"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:05 am	"Astrocyte IFs as a Target in Neurodegenerative Diseases"
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:00 am	"Postranlational Regulation of GFAP and Stress Responses in Neurodegeneration"
11:00 am - 11:10 am	Discussion
11:10 am - 11:20 am	"Aberrant Processing of GFAP in Alexander Disease"
11:20 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:40 am	"Cytoplasmic IFs and Vesicle Trafficking in Astrocytes"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	"GFAP as an Antenna Sensing the Oxidative Stress"
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:20 pm	"Abnormal Neurofilament Inclusions in Neuropathies"
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Power Hour The GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. Organizer:
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Intermediate Filaments, the Immune System and Repair Discussion Leaders: and
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm	"The Two-Edged Sword of Inflammation: Connection to IFs"
6:15 pm - 6:25 pm	Discussion
6:25 pm - 6:45 pm	"Secreated Vimentin as a Biomarker of Senescence and Its Recognition by Innate Immune System"
6:45 pm - 6:55 pm	Discussion
6:55 pm - 7:05 pm	"Plectin Controls Intestinal Epithelial Barrier"
7:05 pm - 7:10 pm	Discussion
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm	"Non-Filamentous Vimentin Protein Binds to HPV16 Pseudovirions and Dampens Infection in a Murine Model"
7:20 pm - 7:25 pm	Discussion
7:25 pm - 7:35 pm	"The Role of Vimentin in Leukocyte Amoeboid Migration"
7:35 pm - 7:40 pm	Discussion
7:40 pm - 7:55 pm	"Assembly, Disassembly and Transport of Keratin Intermediate Filaments"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Intermediate Filaments in Cell Differentiation, Adhesion, Migration and Senescence Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:15 am	"IFs: Modulators of Stress Responses and Cell Energetics in Critical Times"
9:15 am - 9:25 am	Discussion
9:25 am - 9:40 am	"Vimentin and Desmin Phosphorylation: Implications for Ontogenesis and Diseases"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:00 am	"Mechanosensitivity of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Is Abrogated in Senescence, Coincident with Changes at the Nuclear Lamina"
10:00 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:35 am	Coffee Break
10:35 am - 10:45 am	"A Molecular Description of the Interaction Between Lamin A/C, Emerin, BAF and DNA"
10:45 am - 10:50 am	Discussion
10:50 am - 11:00 am	"GFAP Alternative Splicing in Astrocytoma and Laminin Signaling"
11:00 am - 11:05 am	Discussion
11:05 am - 11:15 am	"Fish-ing for Neurofilament Dynamics in Disease"
11:15 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:35 am	"IFs, the Rest of the Cytoskeleton and Migration"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:00 pm	"Vimentin Regulation of Notch Signaling During Vascular Remodeling"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Heart and Muscle Control in Human Diseases Discussion Leaders: and
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm	"Laminopathies: Unveiling the Pathophysiology"
6:15 pm - 6:25 pm	Discussion
6:25 pm - 6:40 pm	"Lamins in Cardiomyopahies: Partners, Interactions, Mechanisms and Model Interventions"
6:40 pm - 6:50 pm	Discussion
6:50 pm - 7:00 pm	"Lamin Mutations Cause Mechanically-Induced Nuclear Envelope Rupture and DNA Damage in Muscle Fibers"
7:00 pm - 7:05 pm	Discussion
7:05 pm - 7:15 pm	"NAT10 Inhibition Normalizes HGPS Cells by Rebalancing the Transportin-1 Nuclear Import Pathway"
7:15 pm - 7:20 pm	Discussion
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	"Desmin Aggregation and O-GlcNacylation in Ischemia Reperfusion Injury"
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Discussion
7:35 pm - 7:45 pm	"Intermediate Filaments Activate a Bacterial Secretion System"
7:45 pm - 7:50 pm	Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Regulating the Cell Microenvironment and Mechanotransduction Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Soft or Stiff? Determinants and Consequences of Tissue-Dependent Rheological Properties of Scars"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Rheology of Cell Nucleus: From Physics to Understanding Disease Mechanisms"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Coffee Break
10:30 am - 10:45 am	"Mechanosensing of Cell Nucleus in Development and When Things Go Wrong"
10:45 am - 10:55 am	Discussion
10:55 am - 11:05 am	"Vimentin and Notch Signalling in the Regulation of Vascular Homeostasis"
11:05 am - 11:10 am	Discussion
11:10 am - 11:20 am	"Modelling of LMNA-Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy with iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes"
11:20 am - 11:25 am	Discussion
11:25 am - 11:35 am	"Lamin A Molecular Compression and Sliding as Mechanisms Behind Nucleoskeleton Elasticity"
11:35 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:00 pm	General Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	From Intermediate Filament Structure to Diseases Discussion Leaders: and
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm	"Lamins and Chromatin Organization"
6:15 pm - 6:25 pm	Discussion
6:25 pm - 6:35 pm	"A Vimentin Targeting Small Molecule Induces Mitotic Catastrophe in Mesenchymally Transformed Cancers"
6:35 pm - 6:40 pm	Discussion
6:40 pm - 6:50 pm	"Loss of Keratin 8 Induces Deregulation of Caveolin-1 and Diminished Caveolar and Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ Responses in Colonic Epithelial Cells"
6:50 pm - 6:55 pm	Discussion
6:55 pm - 7:10 pm	"Lipid-Containing Nuclear Structures in Genome Regulation"
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm	Discussion
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	"Keratin 17: A Novel Regulator of Nuclear Morphology and Chromatin Organization"
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Discussion
7:35 pm - 7:50 pm	"Nuclear Lamins: Deciphering the Structure Helps to Infer the Function"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Intermediate Filament Biology: Connecting the Laboratory with the Clinic Discussion Leaders: and
9:00 am - 9:15 am	"IFs as Determinants of Cellular Organization, Migration and Wound Healing"
9:15 am - 9:25 am	Discussion
9:25 am - 9:40 am	"Vimentin and the Innate Immunity"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:05 am	"Pharmacological Targeting of IFs"
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:00 am	"Targeting Keratins in Skin Diseases"
11:00 am - 11:10 am	Discussion
11:10 am - 11:25 am	"Keratins in Liver Diseases"
11:25 am - 11:35 am	Discussion
11:35 am - 11:45 am	"Mechanisms Underlying Genomic Instability in Laminopathies"
11:45 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	"Vimentin Is Required for the Innate Immune Response Following Influenza A Virus Infection"
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm	Discussion
12:05 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Metabolic Regulation, Mitochondria and Intermediate Filaments Discussion Leaders: and
6:00 pm - 6:15 pm	"Desmin and the Control of Mitochondrial Homeostatis"
6:15 pm - 6:25 pm	Discussion
6:25 pm - 6:40 pm	"Kelch Proteins as Caretakers of Keratins During Tissue Homeostasis and Disease"
6:40 pm - 6:50 pm	Discussion
6:50 pm - 7:00 pm	"Widespread Accumulation and Aggregation or IF Proteins During Mammalian Aging and Partial Reversal by Lifelong Caloric Restriction"
7:00 pm - 7:05 pm	Discussion
7:05 pm - 7:20 pm	"Keratins and Mitochondrial Morphology, Motility and Function"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	General Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Closing Remarks
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Bob and Anne Goldman

Ronald Liem

Ueli and Janine Aebi

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R13AR073670. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Conference History Intermediate Filaments (GRS)

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