GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS ON LIVING SYSTEMS<bigger><bigger>
GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE
GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS ON LIVING SYSTEMS:
Evolution of Gravitational Sensing and Interaction with Other Sensory
Systems
JULY 12 - 17, 1998
Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH
(Michael L. Evans, Chair and Ruth
Anne Eatock, Vice Chair)
This conference will be the last
such conference of the 20th century and this perspective has led us to
select an evolutionary theme as our focus, with a secondary theme of
the overlapping of environmental response systems as a consequence of
evolution. The conference will begin with a consideration of the
physical limitations of gravisensing (quantitative treatment) and then
address gravisensing/response from simple to more complex systems.=20
This will include talks on the nature of gravisensing and response in
microorganisms (bacteria/single celled eukaryotes) to multicellular
lower organisms to complex plants and animals. The theme will include
a consideration of the evolution of loadbearing structures both at the
cellular (cytoskeletal) level and the whole organism level. In
addition there will be symposia on the mechanisms of gravisensing and
on the overlap of gravisensing/response systems with other response
systems (e.g. gravitropism/phototropism interaction). We will extend=20
the level of complexity theme all the way to the influence of gravity
on the evolution of ecosystems with a novel symposium on astrobiology
during which we will consider how the strength of the gravitational
force influences the evolution of life and ecosystems.
=20
List of general topics, speakers and tentative titles. Three remaining
speakers to be added.
(For additonal information and instructions on registration procedure,
visit the Gordon Research Conferences web site at
http://www.grc.uri.edu/ or the web page for this particular conference
at http://140.254.14.55/grc/)
Limits of Gravisensing
Paul Todd, Univ. of Colorado Physics of gravisensing
David Klaus, Univ. of Colorado Effects of microgravity on the
development of microorganisms
Evolution of Gravisensing/response Systems: Cytoskeleton/Extracellular
Matrix Interaction
Paul Blount, Univ. Texas Southwestern Bacterial mechanosensitve
channels, from genes to physiology
Mike Gustin, Rice Univ Stretch activated channels and
osmosensing in yeast
Owen Hamill, Univ. of Texas, Galveston Stretch-activated channels
Richard Cyr, Penn State Univ BY cells as model systems for
subcellular effects of gravity
Evolution & Transduction Mechanisms in Load Bearing Systems
Karl Niklas, Cornell Univ Evolution of Load Bearing
Systems in Plants
Zigmunt Hejnowicz, Silesian Univ Plant responses to mechanical
stress
Teresa Nicolson, Max Planck Inst, T=C5bingen Mechanotransduction
mutants in Zebrafish
Evolution/Genetics of Gravitropism and Mechanosensing=20
=46red Sack, Ohio State Univ Evolution of
gravisensing/response systems in plants
Monica Driscoll, Rutgers Univ Genetics and models of
mechanotransduction in the roundworm, =20
Caenorhabditis elegans
Patrick Masson, Univ. Wisconsin Genetics of Arabidopsis
gravitropism
Maurice Kernan, SUNY Stoneybrook Using Drosophila mutants to
find the molecular bases of =20
mechanotransduction
Primitive graviresponse systems/specialized mechanosensors
Ruth Hemmersbach, Inst. Aerospace Graviorientation in protists=20
Medicine, K=EEln =20
David Corey, Harvard Univ. Genetic approaches to the inner
ear in mouse and man
David Cove, Univ. of Leeds, England Gravitropism and phototropism
in moss
Cellular level systems/specialized mechanosensors
Peter Gillespie, Johns Hopkins Molecular and biophysical
approaches to transduction and
Medical Inst adaptation in vertebrate hair
cells =20
Klaus Palme, Max Planck Molecular characterization of the
auxin transport carrier
Inst., Cologne =20
Guy Richardson, Univ. Sussex, Development of hair cell epithelia
England
Elmar Weilar, Ruhr Univ., Germany Mechanosensing and calcium
channels in plants
Mechanosensivity/Development
Donna Fekete, Purdue Univ. Development of the inner ear
Andrew Staehelin, Univ. Colorado Morphology of gravisensing
cells in the root columella=20
Bernd Fritzsch, Creighton Univ. Mechanisms that guide and
maintain proper connections between =20
the inner ear and the brain
Elison Blancaflor, Penn State Univ. Selective laser ablation
of gravisensing cells in roots of Arabidopsis
Genetics and Sensory Systems
Terri Lomax, Oregon State Univ. Gravitropism response mutants
and auxin transport patterns
Jay Goldberg, Univ. of Chicago Why do amniote vestibular
organs have type I hair cells?
Roger Hangarter, Indiana Univ. Interactions between
phytochromes and gravitropic response =20
systems in Arabidopsis
Dora Angelaki, Univ. Mississippi How does the brain distinguish
gravity from linear acceleration?
Medical Center, Jackson
Astrobiology -- Gravity and Evolution, the Big Picture
Jack Cohen, Univ. of Warwick, England Evolution and extraterrestrial
life forms</bigger></bigger>
