Abstract Submission Topics
Cell Stress and cell death
Stressed cells engage diverse response pathways, among them hypoxia or oxidative stress responses, autophagy, the unfolded proteins response, or programmed cell death pathways, including apoptosis. Presentations under this topic will focus on the roles these pathways play in development, aging and pathophysiology.
- caspases
- death mutants/genes
- inhibitors of apoptosis (iaps)
- apoptosis-induced proliferation
- necrosis
- autophagy
- unfolded protein response
- other
Immunity and the microbiome
These presentations will focus on the role of the innate immune system in response to encounters with microbes and to internal insults. Beyond the microbiome’s interactions with the immune system, we will also discuss its possible effects on metabolism, pathogenesis, neurobiology, ecology, evolution, and aging
- cellular immunity
- humoral immunity
- innate immunity
- transcriptional regulation
- anti-microbial peptides
- JAK-STAT signaling
- NF-kB signaling
- hemocytes
- stem cells
- fat body
- host/pathogen interactions
- Wolbachia
- microbiome
- microbial metabolites??
- other
Evolution
Presentations under this topic will focus on evolution and development and/or population genetics.
- genome evolution
- population variation
- chromosome structural variation
- evolution of gene expression
- quantitative traits
- speciation
- phylogenetics
- selection
- canalization/robustness
- computational models
- genome-wide association studies
- evo-devo
- adaptation
- genotype to phenotype
- genotype-by-environment interaction
- physiology
- adaptation
- systems biology
- other organisms
- bioinformatic and genome tools
- other
Stem cells, regeneration, and tissue injury
Presentations under this topic will focus on the properties of stem cells and the niches they live in, and models for examining regeneration and response to tissue injury.
- follicle stem cell
- germline stem cell
- neural stem cells
- intestinal stem cells
- hematopoietic stem cells
- niche and other local signaling
- asymmetric cell division
- intrinsic factors
- systemic factors
- homeostasis
- regeneration
- computational modeling
- live imaging
- injury
- wound healing
- other
Reproduction and gametogenesis
These presentations will cover oogenesis, spermatogenesis and other aspects of reproductive biology.
- spermatogenesis
- oogenesis
- meiosis
- gonads
- primordial germ cells
- pre-gametogenic germ cell development
- sex determination
- sex-specific traits and molecules
- non-coding RNAs
- RNA binding proteins
- RNA transport and localization
- cell differentiation
- somatic cell differentiation
- stem cells
- tissue-specific transcription
- cell migration
- live imaging
- other
Regulation of gene expression
These presentations will cover different mechanisms regulating gene expression including transcription, RNA biology, translation, posttranslational modifications and technological progress in analyzing these mechanisms in complex organisms.
- core promoters and general transcription factors
- transcription initiation/elongation/termination
- activators/coactivators
- repressors/corepressors
- enhancers
- pattern formation
- alternative splicing
- translational regulation
- nuclear pore complex
- epigenetics
- DNA methylation
- non-coding RNAs
- computational models
- networks
- canalization/robustness
- cis-regulatory logic
- miRNA
- piRNA
- siRNA/RNAi
- lncRNAs
- RNA binding proteins
- RNA transport and localization
- stability/turnover
- translational regulation
- posttranslational modifications
- other
Chromatin, epigenetics and genomics
These presentations will focus on mechanisms that influence chromatin organization and histone modifications, and how they influence transcription on a local and/or genome-wide scale
- chromatin structure
- chromatin assembly
- remodeling complexes
- histone variants and modifications
- heterochromatin
- insulators/boundary elements
- Polycomb/trithorax complexes
- nuclear pore complex
- dosage compensation
- pairing/transvection
- nuclear organization
- DNA replication
- Telomeres
- other
Patterning, morphogenesis and organogenesis
These presentations will focus on classic themes in developmental biology and modern experimental approaches to address them.
- axis specification
- segmentation
- homeotics
- compartments and boundaries
- commitment
- eye disc
- wing disc
- leg disc
- other imaginal discs
- muscle
- gut
- gonads
- epidermis
- tissue specification
- tissue growth and remodeling
- cell migration
- epithelial sheets
- cell-cell interactions
- endodermal derivatives
- mesodermal derivatives
- ectodermal derivatives
- post-embryonic tissue or organ remodeling
- biomechanical forces
- computational models
- live imaging
- other
Signal transduction
Drosophila has been on the forefront of defining signal transduction pathways and their genetic dissection. These presentations will focus on new developments in these pathways, their interactions and functions.
- Hedgehog
- Wingless
- TGFbeta
- Notch
- JAK/STAT
- Insulin signaling
- Hippo
- NF-kB
- receptor tyrosine kinase/phosphatase
- other signaling pathways
- small GTPases
- lipids in signaling
- morphogens
- live imaging
- computational models
- networks
- feedback regulation
- canalization/robustness
- other
Cell biology: Cytoskeleton, organelles and trafficking
These presentations will focus on membranous and non-membranous organelles, structural and regulatory components of the cytoskeleton and their interactions in maintaining cellular homeostasis or supporting developmental changes.
- cytoskeleton
- cell polarity
- endocytosis
- membrane dynamics
- intracellular transport
- secretion
- autophagy
- mitochondria
- cellular organelles
- endoplasmic reticulum
- Golgi
- endosomes
- lysosomes
- peroxisomomes
- nucleus
- nuclear pore complex
- cellular remodeling
- cell migration
- extracellular matrix
- cell junctions and adhesion
- intracellular forces
- live imaging
- other
Cell division and cell growth
These presentations will focus on the metabolic and developmental control of the cell cycle and the cell biology of cell divisions.
- mitosis
- meiosis
- organelle maintenance & replication
- centrosome
- kinetochores and cohesion
- spindles and motors
- cytokinesis
- kinase/phosphatase/cyclin
- DNA replication
- DNA repair
- cell cycle control
- checkpoint
- endocycle
- compensatory proliferation
- gene amplification
- transcriptional regulation
- developmental modulation
- tumor suppressors and oncogenes
- cell competition
- regeneration
- Insulin signaling
- TOR
- Hippo signaling
- homeostasis
- autophagy
- cell growth
- tissue growth
- other
Physiology, metabolism and aging
These presentations will focus on the functions of different organ systems, their communications and roles in regulating metabolism and aging.
- stress responses
- metabolism
- nutrition
- nutrient sensing
- endocrine function
- dietary restriction/fasting
- oxidative damage
- mitochondria
- lifespan
- physiology of adult organs
- circadian rhythms and sleep
- Insulin signaling/ insulin-like peptides
- TOR signaling
- hormonal control
- regeneration
- post-embryonic tissue or organ remodeling
- homeostasis
- proteostasis
- autophagy
- other
Neural development and physiology
These presentations will focus on neuronal diversity, axon guidance and connectivity in development and the mechanisms by which neurons maintain their functions, including circadian rhythms and sleep.
- axon guidance
- dendrites
- synaptogenesis
- neuronal specification
- neuronal morphogenesis
- neuromuscular junction
- neurotransmitters
- neuropeptides
- hormones
- ion channels
- glia
- hormonal control
- CNS
- PNS
- stem cells
- RNA binding proteins
- RNA transport and localization
- sensory cell development
- sex-specific traits
- other
Neural circuits and behavior
These presentations will focus on the anatomical and functional examination of neuronal circuits, their synaptic connections and the behaviors they control.
- neurotransmitters
- neuropeptides
- hormones
- ion channels
- synaptic function and organization
- learning/memory
- courtship and mating
- circadian rhythms and sleep
- aggression
- grooming behavior
- feeding behavior
- locomotion/flight
- mechanosensation
- chemosensation
- olfaction
- gustation
- vision
- circuits
- circadian rhythms
- other
Models of human disease
These presentations will focus on Drosophila models of human diseases including neurodegeneration, neurological disorders, and developmental and physiological disorders
- neural degeneration
- neural disorder
- models of ASD
- trinucleotide repeat expansion
- epilepsy
- drug discovery
- regeneration
- tumorigenesis
- metastasis
- cardiovascular disease
- developmental disorders
- muscle disorders
- sterility
- diabetes
- obesity
- metabolic disorders
- inflammation
- stress
- renal disease
- circadian rhythms and sleep
- drug discovery
- cell biology of disease
- genetic modifiers of disease
- other
Techniques and technology
Highlights of novel methods and technological improvements will be the emphasis of these presentations.
- microscopy
- live imaging
- RNAi
- mutational screens
- gene targeting and modification
- recombination systems
- CRISPR/Cas9
- high-throughput phenotyping
- small compounds
- microarrays
- next-generation sequencing
- computational algorithms
- webtools and databases
- proteomics
- molecular interactions
- single cell sequencing
- other
Educational Initiatives
- K-12 curriculum
- college/university curriculum
- genomics education partnerships
- ethics
- diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom
- vision and change
- other
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- faculty hiring
- postdoc initiatives
- grad student initiatives
- funding initiatives
- other
