The 8th NIBB-EMBL Joint MeetingEvolution: Genomes, Cell Types and ShapesNovember 21st (Fri) - 23rd (Sun), 2008 at Okazaki Conference Center,Sponsored by NINSIt is becoming more and more apparent that evolution takes place at all hierarchical levels of organismal life. Evolutionary change occurs at the level of the species, of shapes, of organs, cell types, organelles, but also at the level of chromosomes, genes or gene regulatory networks. Traditionally, the evolution of organismal life has been studied at species level, reconstructing the microbial, animal or plant “tree of life”. Another important level has always been to compare the shape and structure of organs. For example, bones have been compared and their evolutionary origin and modification been inferred.Also, animal and plant morphogenesis are intensely studied to elucidate “the evolution of shape”. Another key hierarchical level of organismal evolution is the level of the cell type, representing a fundamental unit of life. The study of cell types has initially been based on structural comparisons by electron microscopy, focussing on cell type-characteristic organelles (representing yet another level of the organismal hierarchy). Only recently, cell types have started to be compared also at the molecular level, by the comparison of molecular fingerprints. This draws our attention to the lowest hierarchical level of biological organisation that is subject to comparative study, the molecules. Molecular comparisons can involve groups of proteins constituting metabolic pathways or signalling pathways, or they can be at the level of DNA, involving genes, domains, repetitive elements or regulatory modules. All these different hierarchical levels of organismal life evolve independently but are also interdependent to some extent: The evolution at species level can not be understood without looking at the structures and cell types that constitute the organism. Also, cell types cannot be understood without looking at the gene regulatory networks that specify them and at the structural proteins that produce cellular structures. Our conference will look at all levels of the evolutionary hierarchy, from shapes to cell types, genomes and genes. We aim at working out the interrelationships between these levels and to understand common principles of organismal evolution that apply to all levels. We welcome all participants to contribute to a comprehensive and fascinating new look on the evolution of organismal life. Detlev Arendt, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg |
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