CELL BIOLOGY SESSIONS

The following Cell Biology session is taking place at SEB Gothenburg 2017. More information on each session can be found below:

General cell and plant biology
Imaging plant pathogenesis
Membrane dynamics: Signalling and polarity
Palaeogenomics and ancient DNA
Plant cell cycle and the cytoskeleton

GENERAL CELL AND PLANT BIOLOGY

DATE: 5 JULY 2017

The General Cell and Plant Biology session comprises talks and posters on all the aspects of plant and cell biology that are not catered for in the specific section sessions. As such, the session is an important element of the scientific programme, with high-quality presentations on a wide spectrum of subjects. The general session takes place over one day and the programme of short talks will be selected from the abstracts and organised (as far as possible, but this is not a prerequisite) into the subject areas of the special interest groups of the Plant and Cell Sections. We particularly encourage presentations from PhD students and early career scientists.

IMAGING PLANT PATHOGENESIS

DATES: 3 AND 4 JULY 2017

ORGANISERS:

Dr George Littlejohn (University of Plymouth, UK)
Dr Michael Deeks (University of Exeter, UK)

SPEAKERS:

Prof Silke Robatzek (The Sainsbury Laboratory, UK) - How endocytosis regulates immunity
Prof Murray Grant (University of Warwick, UK) - Visualising the dynamics of disease and defence against Pseudomonas syringae – from whole plants to sub-cellular perturbations
Prof Katherine Denby (University of York, UK) - The impact of environment on plant defence
Dr Petra Boevink (The James Hutton Institute, UK) - How does Phytophthora deliver effectors to host plant cells?
Dr Miriam Oses-Ruiz (University of Exeter, UK) - Investigating appressorium-mediated plant infection by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

For three decades the bioimaging of live cells has provided ‘snapshots’ of molecular dynamics surrounding the infection of plant tissues and the processes driving invading pathogens. The wider availability of high-quality instrumentation and perfection of mounting techniques is leading to a new age of prolonged bioimaging that captures the molecular progression of pathogenesis. Such approaches promise to capture the subtle tipping points between successful host defence and virulence. This one and a half day session intends to promote these advances and will focus on resolving and prioritising the future challenges for biologists and instrument developers pioneering phytopathology imaging. Moreover it is becoming clear that pathogenesis in plants is entangled with the perception and response to abiotic stresses. This is true from the level of hormonal control to the sub-cellular scale and the sharing of receptors between these two classes of stimuli. The co-processing of abiotic and biotic information sensitises the bioimaging of pathogenesis to the physiological status of the sample. Factors such as the influence of unnaturally high photon flux and gas exchange should be considered during experiment design. The final half-day of the session will be a workshop aiming to establish guidelines for standardising abiotic factors likely to influence the molecular dynamics of phytopathology under the microscope.

MEMBRANE DYNAMICS: SIGNALLING AND POLARITY

DATE: 3 JULY 2017

ORGANISERS:

Prof Nick Monk (University of Sheffield, UK)
Dr Katie Fisher (University of Sheffield, UK)

SPEAKERS:

Dr Martin Baron (University of Manchester, UK)
Dr Natasha Savage (University of Liverpool, UK) - Molecular mechanisms underpinning polarised growth
Dr Katie Fisher (University of Sheffield, UK) - Molecular mechanisms of coordinated cell polarisation in the Drosophila wing
Dr Linda Nemetschke (MPI-CBG, Germany)

The plasma membrane provides the primary barrier between a eukaryotic cell and the outside world. This dynamic entity is host to a multitude of proteins which carry out a range of functions including signalling, transport and adhesion as well as forming links to the cytoskeleton providing cellular structure and motility. Early models such as a the fluid mosaic model (Singer and Nicholson 1972) describes free movement of components around the membrane, however more recent work suggests that membrane proteins can be dynamically organised into microdomains and substructures, such as lipid rafts and signalosomes. These domains, as well as trafficking of proteins into and out of these domains, play an essential role in regulating protein function.

The asymmetric distribution of proteins around the membrane plays further fundamental roles in cell function including directed migration, segregation of determinants or asymmetric cell division. This polarisation allows cells in a tissue to coordinate with one another to produce external structures such as hairs or cilia and during morphogenesis where cells intercalate and reorganise with respect to one another. Key questions involve initial steps of breaking symmetry by extrinsic cues or stochastic processes, amplification of polarity by feedback mechanisms and organisation of proteins into microdomains.

In this session we aim to bring together researchers with interests in all areas of membrane dynamics and organisation and particularly those with theoretical insights or developing mathematical models. Talks will address exciting new developments in how signalling pathways are regulated by endocytic pathways or cell polarity components, as well as fundamental questions about cell polarity establishment.

PALAEOGENOMICS AND ANCIENT DNA

DATES: 5 AND 6 JULY 2017

ORGANISERS:

Dr Laura Parducci (Uppsala University, Sweden)
Dr Richard Tennant (University of Exeter, UK)
Dr John Love (University of Exeter, UK)

SPEAKERS:

Prof Michael Hofreiter (Universität Potsdam, Germany) - Sequencing and computational challenges in the analysis of ancient DNA
Prof Terry Brown (University of Manchester, UK) - Using palaeogenomic approaches with plant remains.
Prof Ludovic Orlando (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Denmark) - Novel bioinformatic techniques in palaeogenomics
Peter Heintzman (Tromsø University Museum, Norway)
Dr Helena Malmström (Uppsala University, Sweden) - Population genomics of hunter-gatherers and farmers in Scandinavia
Dr Mikkel Pedersen (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Denmark) – Paleo-environmental reconstruction using ancient DNA from lake sediments

Palaeogenomics and the study of ancient DNA sequences from a variety of preserved samples has advanced substantially in recent years. Insights gained from this developing field include the discovery of a new Human species, the Denisovans; the complete genome sequencing of the woolly mammoth; and a more detailed analysis of past populations, migrations and ecosystems.

The recent advances in sequencing technology and the subsequent in silico enhancements of bioinformatic analyses have enabled a step change in ancient DNA research. This session will investigate the latest research in palaeogenomics. As samples are obtained from diverse sources, ranging from sediments, permafrost, teeth, bones and preserved plant material, we will also cover the challenges that arise when working with these samples and introduce new techniques which have been employed to enhance the extraction and analysis of ancient DNA samples.

PLANT CELL CYCLE AND THE CYTOSKELETON

DATES: 4, 5 AND 6 JULY 2017

ORGANISERS:

Dr Prof Jim Murray (Cardiff University, UK)
Prof Patrick Hussey (Durham University, UK)
Dr Walter Dewitte (Cardiff University, UK)

SPEAKERS

Prof Sergio Moreno (Instituto de Biología Funcional y Genómica, Spain)
Prof Arp Schnittger (University of Hamburg, Germany)
Dr Sabine Muller (University of Tübingen, Germany)
Prof Dominique Bergmann (Stanford University, United States)
Dr Katerina Bisova (Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)
Dr Henrik Buschmann (University of Osnabrück, Germany)
Prof Patrick Hussey (University of Durham, UK)
Dr Ive De Smet (UGent, Belgium) - Small signalling peptide control of (asymmetric) cell division
Dr Tijs Ketelaar (Wageningen University, Netherlands)
Prof Jim Murray (Cardiff University, UK)

Plants exhibit continuous growth, and so the cell cycle is closely integrated with developmental processes, environmental responses and growth throughout the life cycle. At the cellular level, control of the cell cycle is closely linked to cytoskeletal processes which exhibit both plant specific and conserved aspects. This session will seek to bridge scales between sub-cellar, cellular and organ level mechanisms and controls with a focus on cytoskeleton, coordination of cell cycle programming and phases, developmental patterning and the cell cycle and the links between cell cycle and growth.