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Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function

Gordon Research Conference

Using Basic Plant Lipid Science to Drive Functional Changes for Human Benefit

January 29 - February 3, 2023

Chairs

and

Vice Chair

Grand Galvez

2024 Seawall Boulevard

Galveston, Texas, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

Lipids are essential for plant growth, development, and environmental adaptation and serve as important renewable sources of food, feed, biofuel, and industrial feedstocks. Plant lipids are also at the core of our energy economy, as lipids form the photosynthetic membranes and neutral storage lipids represent an energy-dense reservoir of reduced carbon and fuel. These benefits, which are critical to human society, underscore the importance of understanding how lipids are produced and function within plants.

We have funding for travel assistance! Please apply here when you apply to the GRC or GRS: https://forms.gle/RGDgeJNMmXuDvuT99

Deadline for Oral Presentation Consideration (GRS and GRC) is November 1st, 2022.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function" 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
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Membrane Contact Sites and Their Functions Membrane contact sites are essential for lipid synthesis, oil accumulation, organelle biogenesis, and cellular function. A recent hotbed of research has been centered on membrane contact sites in multiple species. This opening session describes the state of what is known about contact sites in multiple species. Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:10 pm	"Lipid Transfer SMP Proteins at Membrane Contact Sites"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm	Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:40 pm	"Membrane Contact Sites and Cellular Lipid Homeostasis"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:05 pm	"Structural Determinants of REMORIN Nanodomain Formation in Anionic Membranes"
9:05 pm - 9:10 pm	Discussion
9:10 pm - 9:25 pm	"Candidate Proteins Located at Membrane Contact Sites Between Chloroplast Inner Envelope and Thylakoid Membranes"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Lipids on the Edge, Cutin, Suberin and Waxes Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Developmental Genetics of Epidermal Specializations in Barley"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:50 am	"The Protective Plant Cuticle: Genetic Underpinnings and Environmental Parameters that Impact Cuticular Wax Composition Using Maize Silks as a Model System"
9:50 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:10 am	"Characterization of the Gene Networks Underlying Cuticle Production in Maize Silks and Seedlings via Systems Biology Approaches"
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"Shaping the Diffusion Barriers of the Arabidopsis Roots"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:35 am	"Cross-Talk and Cross-Linking – Small Phenolics Assist Plant Lipid Interfaces"
11:35 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 11:55 am	"The Functions of Brassica napus Epicuticular Wax: Chemical Composition and an Epidermal Transcriptome."
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	General Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. Organizers: and
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Lipid Synthesis and Modification Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Recent Advances in Our Understanding of the Regulation of Fatty Acid Synthesis"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Targeted Collection of Partial Loss-of-Function Mutants Gives Insight into Complex Sphingolipid Synthesis and Function in Physcomitrium Patens"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:50 pm	"Role of Phosphatidylcholine Remodeling in Lipid Homeostasis in Arabidopsis"
8:50 pm - 8:55 pm	Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:10 pm	"Altering Carbon-Allocation in Soybeans to Improve Seed Value"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Lipid-Based Signaling Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Self-Organizing Lipid Nanodomains at the Plasma Membrane-Actin Interface"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:50 am	"ROP6 cell signaling is mediated across the plasma membrane by the acyl-chain length of lipids"
9:50 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:10 am	"Deciphering the Role of Lipid Kinases/Phosphatases Involved in ER Glycerolipid Metabolism"
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"How Adaptive Responses are Shaped by the Interplay Between Two Conserved Metabolic Pathways"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:35 am	"Hybrid Proline Rich Proteins -a Family Implicated in Immune and Growth Responses to Microbes Via a Lipid-Based Signal(s)"
11:35 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 11:55 am	"Lipid Derived Signaling Involving Chloroplasts"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	General Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Innovative Technical Advances in Lipid Analysis Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Interplay Between the Phosphoinositides and the Plant Cytoskeleton During Cell Division"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"Exploring the Biogenesis of Thylakoid Membranes with Cryo-Electron Tomography"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:50 pm	"Understanding the Lipid Plasma Membrane Organization through Sphingolipidomes from PM and DRM"
8:50 pm - 8:55 pm	Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:10 pm	"Spatiotemporal Study of Lipid Biosynthesis in Lemna minor Using MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging and in vivo Isotope Labeling"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Isoprenoids, Sterols and Lipid-Derived Products Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:25 am	"Terpenoid Biosynthesis in Plants: Beyond the Traditional View"
9:25 am - 9:35 am	Discussion
9:35 am - 9:50 am	"Interrogating plant metabolic diversity for high-value carotenoid production in oilseeds"
9:50 am - 9:55 am	Discussion
9:55 am - 10:10 am	"Using 13C to Map the Pathways Leading to Industrially Relevant Fatty Acids"
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"A Single Amino Acid Mutation in a Transcriptional Repressor Increases Oil and Protein Content in Soybean"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:35 am	"Insights into the Lipid Droplet Proteome of Arabidopsis Leaves and Roots"
11:35 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 11:55 am	"CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASE 8 Positively Regulates Oil Synthesis by Activating WRINKLED1 Transcription"
11:55 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	General Discussion
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm	Poster Previews
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Lipids for Storage, Biofuels and Bioproducts Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"How Small Changes in Lipid Chemistry Shapes Cell Membranes: from Plant-Like Glycolipids in Yeast to Extreme Animal Adaptation in the Bottom of Earth's Oceans"
7:55 pm - 8:05 pm	Discussion
8:05 pm - 8:25 pm	"How to Keep Lipids in the Leaves? The Interplay Between Lipid Storage and Degradation"
8:25 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 8:50 pm	"Overexpression of the Phosphatidylcholine: diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PDCT) Gene Increases Carbon Flux Toward Triacylglycerol Synthesis in Camelina sativa Seeds"
8:50 pm - 8:55 pm	Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:10 pm	"Lipid Biosynthetic Subdomains of the ER Produce both Peroxisomes and Lipid Droplets"
9:10 pm - 9:15 pm	Discussion
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Dates and Venue; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Lipid Dynamics, Synthesis, Flux and Degradation Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:05 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:05 am - 9:20 am	"An Expanded Role for the Transcription Factor WRINKLED1 in the Biosynthesis of Triacylglycerols During Seed Development."
9:20 am - 9:25 am	Discussion
9:25 am - 9:40 am	"Avocado WRINKLED2 is Functional and Positively Regulates Lipid Biosynthesis in Non-Seed Tissues"
9:40 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:00 am	"Engineering Triacylglycerol Accumulation in Duckweed (Lemna japonica)"
10:00 am - 10:05 am	Discussion
10:05 am - 10:20 am	"Triacylglycerol Remodeling in Physaria fendleri: A Concert Between Lipases and Acyltransferases"
10:20 am - 10:25 am	Discussion
10:25 am - 10:55 am	Coffee Break
10:55 am - 11:10 am	"Role of LYSOPHOSPHATIDIC ACID ACYLTRANSFERASE 2 (LPAT2) in de novo Glycerolipid Metabolism and Developmental Control: Two Sides of the Same Coin?"
11:10 am - 11:15 am	Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am	"Lipids on the Move"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	"Investigating the Structural and Functional Roles of Conserved Cysteine Residues in Membrane-Bound Fatty Acid Desaturases"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Gaps in Translating Basic Lipid Science to Human Benefit Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:10 pm	"Plant Biology: The Adventure Continues!"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm	Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:40 pm	"The Role of Lipid-Binding Proteins in the Future of Plant Science"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"The Road Less Travelled – Translating Discovery into Product: Lessons from the Rothamsted Omega-3 Project"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

This is awarded pursuant to the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1861-75) and is subject to Research Terms and Conditions (RTCs) dated 11/12/2020, and NSF Agency Specific Requirements, dated 05/13/2022, available at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/rtc.jsp. This award is made in accordance with the provisions of NSF Solicitation: NSF 21-506 Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs.

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Conference History Plant Lipids: Structure, Metabolism and Function (GRS)

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