The 2012 Gordon Conference on Protein Transport across Cell Membranes is organized around a theme of merging traditional approaches of cell biology, biochemistry, and biophysics, with emerging technologies of structural biology and single molecule fluorescence imaging to address the same or similar fundamental questions. Topics to be covered include protein transport and membrane protein integration into the ER by the Sec machinery and also by Sec-independent mechanisms, multiple pathways for protein export and secretion across prokaryotic membranes, import and routing of proteins into chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes by both novel and evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Sessions will also cover non-traditional protein translocation mechanisms. This Gordon Research Conference will foster the synthesis of new ideas by bringing together leading international speakers with investigators at all stages of their careers. In addition to invited speakers, short talks will be selected from submitted abstracts.

The 2012 conference also features a pre-conference Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), organized by postdoctoral scientists, that will be oriented towards junior investigators to provide them with background on common mechanisms involved in protein transport, to discuss their ongoing research projects, and to facilitate interaction and networking with their peers within this scientific community. We fully anticipate that the talks, discussions, poster sessions, and other informal interactions at this GRC and GRS will contribute to advancing our understanding of molecular mechanisms of protein trafficking, which is essential to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.