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Cell Biology of the Neuron

Gordon Research Conference

The Mechanisms Underlying Development, Function, and Pathological Malfunctions in Neurons

June 26 - July 1, 2016
Chairs and
Vice Chairs and
Waterville Valley
56 Packard's Road
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, United States
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The 12th Gordon Conference on Cell Biology of the Neuron will be held on June 26 - July1, 2016 at Waterville Valley Resort, NH. The meeting will cover the latest developments in exploring the inner workings of nerve cells. In particular the meeting will emphasize fundamental cell biology while illustrating its relevance to understanding the aetiology of neurological disorders. The program integrates unpublished findings and new perspectives, particularly as they relate to neuronal development, synaptic mechanisms, question of transport and polarity, and neuropathology. Subjects will range from basic mechanisms underlying brain wiring to the development of novel imaging tools to analyze neuronal regulatory events. The agenda reflects a convergence of topics that are timely, influential, and mechanistic for understanding brain development, function, and plasticity at the cellular level. The Cell Biology of the Neuron has been a critical venue for bringing together leaders in these fields who approach these questions through different experimental systems.

We aim at attracting neuroscientists interested in cell-cell communication, synaptic transmission, protein folding and trafficking, RNA metabolism and intracellular transport. When do proteins transfer between neurons? How are cargos directed to domains within the cell? Where and how are synapses formed? What controls synaptic strength? What events underlie axonal degeneration and regeneration? How are these fundamental processes misregulated in disease states? The international list of invitees and presentations from scientists at different stages of their career will make the meeting highly interactive and inspiring for junior scientists. To ensure that the latest and most exciting results are presented, some poster presenters will be selected for short talks.

Our venue fosters informal interactions and information exchange. The Waterville Valley Resort accommodates all participants on-site in a lovely setting where participants will spend free time together. The organizers will strive for strong participation by younger scientists (students, postdocs, new faculty) and underrepresented minorities and women in presentations and discussions.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Cell Biology of the Neuron" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pmArrival and Check-in
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pmWelcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:40 pm - 9:30 pmKeynote Session: Mechanisms of Intracellular Membrane Traffic
Discussion Leader: Claudia Bagni (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy / University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
7:40 pm - 8:30 pmPietro De Camilli (Yale University, USA)
"Membrane Contact Sites Within Neurons: An Inter-Organelle 'Connectome'"
8:30 pm - 8:45 pmDiscussion
8:45 pm - 8:55 pmEnqi He (Vrije University Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
"Munc13-1 and Munc18-1 Prevent NSF-Dependent De-Priming of Synaptic Vesicles"
8:55 pm - 9:00 pmDiscussion
9:00 pm - 9:20 pmShigeki Watanabe (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
"Molecular Mechanisms of Ultrafast Endocytosis"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmTrans-Synaptic Transfer in Development and Disease
Discussion Leader: Ryohei Yasuda (Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 amHolly Cline (Scripps Research Institute, USA)
"Trans-Cellular Protein Transfer in the CNS"
9:20 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:50 amLarry Benowitz (Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, USA)
"Trans-Synaptic Zinc Signaling Regulates Cell Survival and Axon Regeneration After CNS Injury: The Optic Nerve Model"
9:50 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:30 amGroup Photo / Coffee Break
10:30 am - 10:40 amKapil Ramachandran (Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA)
"Identification and Characterization of a 20S Transmembrane Proteasome Complex that Generates a New Class of Extracellular Peptides to Modulate Neuronal Signaling"
10:40 am - 10:45 amDiscussion
10:45 am - 11:05 amVivian Budnik (University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA)
"Exosomes in Trans-Synaptic Signaling"
11:05 am - 11:15 amDiscussion
11:15 am - 11:35 amErika Holzbaur (Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA)
"Action at a Distance: Mechanisms Regulating Axonal Transport Initiation in the Distal Axon"
11:35 am - 11:45 amDiscussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pmChenghua Gu (Harvard Medical School, USA)
"Transcytosis Regulation at the Blood-Brain Barrier"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pmDiscussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pmGiordano Lippi (University of California, San Diego, USA)
"MicroRNA-101 Constrains the Development of Neural Networks to Balance Excitation"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmProtein and RNA Trafficking in Dendrites and Axons
Discussion Leader: Erika Holzbaur (Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pmCasper Hoogenraad (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
"Cytoskeletal Remodeling and Polarized Cargo Sorting"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pmKelsey Martin (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
"Spatial Regulation of Gene Expression During Neuronal Plasticity"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pmDiscussion
8:30 pm - 8:40 pmAngelika Harbauer (Boston Children's Hospital, USA)
"mRNA Transport and Local Protein Translation in Axons for Mitochondrial Clearance"
8:40 pm - 8:45 pmDiscussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pmGary Banker (Oregon Health and Science University, USA)
"Identifying the Kinesins that Mediate Axonal and Dendritic Transport"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pmDiscussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pmAmy Ghiretti (Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA)
"Depolarization-Dependent Regulation of Distinct Transport and Microtubule Dynamic Functions of the Dendritic Kinesin KIF21B"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmAssembly and Plasticity of Postsynaptic Structures
Discussion Leader: Yishi Jin (University of California, San Diego, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 amYimin Zou (University of California, San Diego, USA)
"Signaling Mechanisms for Glutamatergic Synapse Development and Plasticity"
9:20 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:50 amDaniel Choquet (CNRS, France)
"Linking Glutamatergic Synapse Function and Nanoscale Dynamic Organization"
9:50 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:30 amCoffee Break
10:30 am - 10:40 amVidhya Rangaraju (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany)
"Mitochondrial Compartments in Dendritic Local Protein Synthesis"
10:40 am - 10:45 amDiscussion
10:45 am - 10:55 amAlexandros Kanellopoulos (VIB, KU Leuven, Belgium)
"Reduced dCYFIP Affects Metabolism-Relevant Signaling Pathways Provoking Neuropsychiatric-Like Behavior"
10:55 am - 11:00 amDiscussion
11:00 am - 11:20 amEunjoon Kim (Institute of Basic Science, KAIST, South Korea)
"NMDA Receptor Dysfunctions in Autism Spectrum Disorders"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:50 amPeter Scheiffele (Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland)
"Alternative Splicing Programs for Synapse Specification"
11:50 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmSuzanne Zukin (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA)
"The Memory Protein CPEB3 Coordinates AMPA Receptor mRNA Targeting to Dendrites and Transcription in Hippocampal Neurons of Fragile X Mice"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pmDiscussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pmMitchell Omar (Yale University, USA)
"Late Developmental Changes in Dendrite Stability Are Controlled by Neuronal Laminin Alpha 5"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmAssembly of Presynaptic Structures
Discussion Leader: Timothy Ryan (Weill Cornell Medicine, USA)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pmKang Shen (Stanford University, USA)
"Mechanisms of Neuronal Polarity in C. elegans"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pm - 8:10 pmJiaxing Li (University of Michigan, USA)
"A Kinesin Motor Regulates Synaptogenesis by Restraining a Nuclear Signaling Cascade"
8:10 pm - 8:15 pmDiscussion
8:15 pm - 8:35 pmDaniel Colon-Ramos (Yale University, USA)
"Powering the Brain: Glycolytic Enzymes Localize to Synapses Under Energy Stress to Support Synaptic Function"
8:35 pm - 8:45 pmDiscussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pmMatthew Pecot (Harvard Medical School, USA)
"Selective Expression of ERM/dFezf Controls Layer Specificity in Analogous Cell Types Within the Drosophila Visual System"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pmDiscussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pmBrock Grill (Scripps Florida, USA)
"RPM-1 Regulates Axon Termination by Impacting Growth Cone Collapse and Microtubule Disassembly"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmCell Signalling and Cell Growth in Neurons
Discussion Leader: Susumu Tomita (Yale School of Medicine, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 amDorothy Schafer (University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA)
"Neural-Immune Mechanisms Regulating Activity-Dependent Refinement of Brain Circuits"
9:20 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:50 amMichelle Monje (Stanford University, USA)
"Myelin Plasticity in Health and Disease"
9:50 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:30 amCoffee Break
10:30 am - 10:40 amLesley Colgan (Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, USA)
"PKCalpha Serves as a Coincident Detector of NMDAR and TrkB Activation to Induce Plasticity and Learning"
10:40 am - 10:45 amDiscussion
10:45 am - 10:55 amMark Dell'Acqua (University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA)
"The ER Ca2+ Sensor STIM1 Directs L-Type Ca2+ Channel-Dependent Dendritic Spine Structural Plasticity and NFAT Signaling to the Nucleus"
10:55 am - 11:00 amDiscussion
11:00 am - 11:20 amFreda Miller (University of Toronto, Canada)
"Translational Regulation of Cortical Neurogenesis"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:50 amRosalind Segal (Harvard Medical School / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, USA)
"An RNA Regulon Coordinates Axonal Survival"
11:50 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmTetsuya Takano (Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Japan)
"Long-Range Inhibitory Signaling Ensures Single Axon formation"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pmDiscussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pmShiri Yaniv (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
"The Role of Actin in Axon Regrowth Following Pruning"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session
6:00 pmDinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pmBusiness Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmFunction and Plasticity of the Synaptic Vesicle Cycle
Discussion Leader: Matthijs Verhage (Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
7:30 pm - 7:50 pmGraeme Davis (University of California, San Francisco, USA)
"Homeostatic Plasticity: Signaling from the Synaptic Cleft and Presynaptic Endoplasmic Reticulum"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pmDiscussion
8:00 pm - 8:20 pmPatrik Verstreken (VIB, KU Leuven, Belgium)
"Protein Turnover at Synapses"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pmDiscussion
8:30 pm - 8:40 pmGhazaleh Ashrafi (Weill Cornell Medicine, USA)
"Activity-Driven Glut4 Mobilization at Nerve Terminals Is Critical for Energetic Support of Sustained Synaptic Transmission"
8:40 pm - 8:45 pmDiscussion
8:45 pm - 9:05 pmMatthijs Verhage (Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
"Short Term Plasticity Mechanisms"
9:05 pm - 9:15 pmDiscussion
9:15 pm - 9:25 pmKenneth Miller (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, USA)
"Keeping Neuronal Cargoes on the Right Track: New Insights into Regulators of Axonal Transport"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmCell Biology of Neuronal Degeneration and Regeneration
Discussion Leader: Erik Jorgensen (Howard Hughes Medical Institute / University of Utah, USA)
9:00 am - 9:20 amAaron Diantonio (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA)
"The Role of MAP Kinase Signaling for SARM1-Dependent Axon Degeneration"
9:20 am - 9:30 amDiscussion
9:30 am - 9:50 amMarc Freeman (University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA)
"Life and Death of the Axon"
9:50 am - 10:00 amDiscussion
10:00 am - 10:30 amCoffee Break
10:30 am - 10:40 amPing Yue Pan (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA)
"Impaired Synaptic Vesicle Trafficking in LRRK2 Models of Parkinson's Disease"
10:40 am - 10:45 amDiscussion
10:45 am - 10:55 amDavid Simon (The Rockefeller University, USA)
"Control of Developmental Axon Degeneration by the Neuronal Cell Body"
10:55 am - 11:00 amDiscussion
11:00 am - 11:20 amValeria Cavalli (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA)
"Activating Axon Regeneration Programs: From Histone Modifications to Lipid Synthesis"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 11:50 amAlison Lloyd (MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, United Kingdom)
"The Cellular Complexity of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration"
11:50 am - 12:00 pmDiscussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmFrancesca Bartolini (Columbia University, USA)
"A Novel Role for Formin-Mediated Microtubule Hyperstabilization in Amyloid-β Synaptotoxicity"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pmDiscussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pmSean Sweeney (University of York, United Kingdom)
"Regulation of Synaptic Growth by Rab8, IK2/TBK1 and AKT, Modifiers of Frontotemporal Dementia"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pmDiscussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 5:30 pmPoster Session
5:30 pm - 7:30 pmKeynote Session: Protein Aggregation and Neuropathology
Discussion Leader: Thomas Schwarz (Boston Children's Hospital, USA)
5:30 pm - 5:50 pmFrank Bradke (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Germany)
"Transcriptome Analysis Identifies the Calcium Channel Subunit Alpha2delta2 as a Key Regulator of Axon Regeneration"
5:50 pm - 6:00 pmDiscussion
6:00 pm - 6:10 pmQiaojin Lin (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
"The Role of ALS-Associated Protein FUS in Local Protein Synthesis and Axon Maintenance"
6:10 pm - 6:15 pmDiscussion
6:15 pm - 6:25 pmTommy Lewis (Columbia University Medical Center, USA)
"Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Polarized Mitochondria Structure and Function in Cortical Neurons"
6:25 pm - 6:30 pmDiscussion
6:30 pm - 7:20 pmBeth Stevens (Boston Children's Hospital, USA)
"How Microglia Prune Specific Synapses in Health and Disease"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pmDiscussion
8:00 pmDinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDeparture

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Cell Biology of the Neuron (GRS)
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