2006 Biophysical Society Discussions

Molecular Motors: Point Counterpoint

Organizers: Sharyn Endow, Duke University and

Steven Rosenfeld, Columbia University

Asilomar Conference Center, Asilomar, California

October 19-22, 2006

The 2006 Discussions topic will focus on aspects of the motor mechanism, juxtaposing recent findings from the kinesins with those from the myosins and dyneins. Presentations on other motors will be included where relevant. Talks will emphasize mechanistic themes among motors of different families, pointing out differences and similarities. Discussions will focus on findings from biophysical and biochemical approaches, taking into account those from biological and theoretical methods.

• The meeting takes place over a three-day period, with talks in the morning and evening and the afternoons set aside for informal interactions. 

• The talks are published ahead of time on the Discussions web page. Attendees are expected to read the papers prior to the meeting so that the oral presentations are very brief (less than 10-15 minutes) with the remaining 45-50 minutes for extended discussion. 

• The proceedings (oral presentations and discussions) are taped and made available on the Discussions web page. 

   

  Application/Acceptance Process

  Applications to attend the Discussions meeting must be submitted by May 5, 2006 and must include an application abstract.  Each application submitted for the 2006 Discussions Meeting will be reviewed by members of the Organizing Committee.  Applicants selected to attend the meeting will be notified by email on June 12, 2006.  All others, including those placed on a waitlist, will also be notified by that date. Invited applicants must complete their registration and reserve housing by July 15, 2006. Registration cost is $450.00.  Housing costs, which include all meals, is approximately $140.00 per day.  Invited applicants who are also presenting posters will have the opportunity to submit a revised abstract for publication in the Study Book.

   

2006 Program

Thursday Evening - Oct 19, 2006

7:30 pm

Opening Remarks

Sharyn Endow, Duke University.

7:40 pm

Overview: Major Unresolved Questions for all Motor Families.

Yale Goldman, University of Pennsylvania.

Session concludes at 8:30 pm

Friday Morning - Oct 20, 2006

9:00 am

Session I. Motor walking (and Limping) Mechanisms, including Mechanisms of Processivity.

Robert Cross, Marie Curie Research Institute, UK, Chair

9:10 am

Myosins.

James Spudich, Stanford University.

 

9:45 am

Kinesin Motor Mechanics: Binding, Stepping, Tracking, Gating, Limping, ...and Some Newly Discovered Rotational States.

Steven Block, Stanford University.

 

10:20 am

Dyneins.

Hideo Higuchi, Tohoku University, Japan.

 

10:55 am

Coffee Break

 

11:10 am

Ribosomes & Other Macromolecular Vomplexes.

Koen Visscher, University of Arizona.

 

11:45 am

Poster session I review

Sarah Rice, Northwestern University

Session concludes at 11:55 am

Friday Evening - Oct 20, 2006

7:00 pm

Session II. Force Generating Mechanisms and Mechanochemical Transduction.

Claudia Veigel, National Institute for Medical Research, MRC, UK, Chair

7:10 pm

Myosins.

Justin Molloy, National Institute for Medical Research, MRC, UK.

 

7:45 pm

Kinesins.

F. Jon Kull, Dartmouth College.

 

8:20 pm

Coffee Break

 

8:35 pm

Ion Channels.

Paul Selvin, University of Illinois.

 

9:10 pm

Rotary Motors.

Hiroyuki Noji, University of Tokyo. 

Session concludes at 9:45 pm

Saturday Morning - Oct 21, 2006

9:00 am

Session III. Determinants of Motor Directionality

H. Lee Sweeney, University of Pennsylvania, Chair

9:10 am

Myosins.

Anne Houdusse, Institute Curie, France.

 

9:45 am

Kinesins.

Ron Milligan, Scripps Research Foundation.

 

10:20 am

Helicase Directional Movement.

Taekjip Ha, University of Illinois.

 

10:55 am

Coffee Break

 

11:10 am

Bacteria & Polymerization Motors.

Daniel Fletcher, University of California, Berkeley.

 

11:45 am

Poster session II review

Meredith Betterton, University of Colorado, Boulder

Session concludes at 11:55 am

Saturday Evening - Oct 21, 2006

7:00 pm

Session IV. Mechanisms of Motor Regulation

Richard Vallee, Columbia University, Chair

7:10 pm

Motor Regulation: Cellular Mechanisms.

Meg Titus, University of Minnesota.

 

7:45 pm

Motor-Cargo Regulation.

Nobutaka Hirokawa, University of Tokyo, Japan.

 

8:20 pm

Coffee Break

 

8:35 pm

Motor-driven Transport Regulation by Interacting Proteins .

Steven Gross, University of California, Irvine.

 

9:10 pm

Filament Dynamics & Motor-Filament Interactions.

David Odde, University of Minnesota.

Session concludes at 9:45 pm

Sunday Morning - Oct 22, 2006

8:30 am

Session V. Motors in the Cell.

Ron Vale, University of California, San Francisco, Chair

8:40 am

Force Generation by Myosins during Morphogenesis.

Dan Kiehart, Duke University.

 

9:15 am

Force Generation by Motors in the Mitotic Spindle.

Tarun Kapoor (Rockefeller University)

 

9:50 am

Summary: What We Have Learned and Where are We Going?

Jonathan Howard, Max Planck Institute, Dresden, Germany.

 

10:30 am

Closing remarks.

Steven Rosenfeld, Columbia University.

Session concludes at 11:00 am

Invited Discussants:

Kenneth Holmes, Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg, Germany.

Toshio Yanagida, Osaka University, Japan.

Transportation Information

There is public transportation offered by the Monterey Salinas Airbus with service from the San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose (SJC) airports to Monterey for ~$40 each way. If you select this option, you are advised to book a reservation with the Monterey Salinas Airbus company in advance. Travel time from SFO to Monterey is ~2 hrs and from SJC ~1.5 hr. The Airbus would pick you up from the SFO or SJC airport, and transport you to the Monterey Transit Plaza/Ordway Drug Store on Pearl St & Alvarado St in Monterey. You could then go by taxi to the Asilomar Conference Grounds at 800 Asilomar Blvd, Pacific Grove CA 93950 (T 831 372-8016). It is ~3.5 miles from the Monterey Transit Plaza to the Asilomar Conference Grounds. Further travel information can be found at http://www.proweb.org/kinesin//AsilomarTravel.html. Connect with others to find transportation to/from Asilomar. Visit our message board. Login and Password information was emailed to all participants.

Childcare
A family room will be provided onsite for parents at the Discussions Meeting equipped with diapers, plastic bags for disposing of diapers, and a small area for rest and play.

Attendees to the Discussions meeting who are in need of childcare services may find local babysitters through VIP Babysitting Services. Attendees can make individual babysitting arrangements direct with the company. To find information on rates and to make a reservation please call 1-800-838-2787 or visit  http://www.vipbabysitting.com.