Find a Conference

Alert - GRC systems are offline for approximately one week. For more information, please click here.

Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles

Gordon Research Conference

Hemes, Chlorophylls, Bilins, Corrins (Vitamin B12) and Related Cofactors of Life

July 20 - 25, 2014
Chair Martin J. Warren
Vice Chair John D. Phillips
Salve Regina University
100 Ochre Point Avenue
Newport, Rhode Island, United States
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The 2014 Gordon Research Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles will provide a stimulating forum for the presentation and discussion of cutting edge advances on hemes, chlorophylls, bilins, corrins (vitamin B12) and other related cofactors of life. As is traditional the conference will feature a wide range of topics including the biosynthesis of these natural products, the chemical synthesis of derivative and model systems, medical aspects associated with tetrapyrrole metabolism and the industrial application of these molecules for bioenergy, bioremediation and photodynamic therapy. The conference will bring together biochemists, microbiologists, chemists and physicians at the forefront of their fields, providing many opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to discuss their research and exchange ideas via poster sessions and informal meetings. Some poster presenters will be selected for talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.

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 pmRecent Advances in (Tetra)Pyrrole Structure/Function
Discussion Leader: Andrew Munro (University of Manchester)
7:40 pm - 8:10 pmC.S. Raman (University of Maryland)
"Catalytic Repurposing of Heme Protein Scaffolds by Exaptation of Conformational States"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pmDiscussion
8:20 pm - 8:45 pmNicole Frankenberg-Dinkel (Ruhr- University Bochum)
"Biosynthesis and Assembly of Unusual Phycobiliproteins"
8:45 pm - 8:55 pmDiscussion
8:55 pm - 9:20 pmAlison Thompson (Dalhouise University)
"Synthetic Strategies Towards Di- and Tripyrrolic Materials and Pharmaceuticals"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
MONDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmMaking and Breaking Tetrapyrroles
Discussion Leader: Jennifer Dubois (Montana State)
9:00 am - 9:30 amBernhard Krautler (University of Innsbruck)
"News on Phyllobilins - The Bilin-Type Chlorophyll Catabolites"
9:30 am - 9:40 amDiscussion
9:40 am - 10:10 amMichi Taga (UC Berkeley)
"Shared Tetrapyrrole Biosynthesis in Microbial Communities"
10:10 am - 10:20 amDiscussion
10:20 amCoffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 amWolfgang Schoefberger (Johannes Kepler University)
"Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of High-Valent Metal Tetrapyrrolics for Catalysis and Biomedical Applications"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pmAngela Wilks (University of Maryland)
"The Dark Side of Heme Utilization in P. aeruginosa"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmDiscussion
12:10 pm - 12:25 pmEvelyne Deery (University of Kent)
"Genetically Reprogramming E. coli as a Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) Producer"
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 pmTetrapyrroles Involved in Signalling and Sensing
Discussion Leader: Peter Meissner (University of Cape Town)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pmBob Kranz (Washington University in St. Louis)
"Cytochrome C Biogenesis: Heme Trafficking, Redox Control, and Attachment"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pmDiscussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pmEric Skaar (Vanderbilt University)
"Heme Sensing, Synthesis, and Degradation in Bacterial Pathogens"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pmDiscussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pmCatherine Drennan (MIT)
"An Old Cofactor in a New Light: Adenosylcobalamin in Light-Dependent Gene Regulation"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
TUESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:30 amGroup Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pmMetals and Tetrapyrroles
Discussion Leader: Dieter Jahn (Technical University Braunschweig)
9:00 am - 9:30 amMark O'Brian (State University of New York at Buffalo)
"Coordinated Response to Metabolic Stress by Heme-Dependent Gene Expression"
9:30 am - 9:40 amDiscussion
9:40 am - 10:10 amSyun-Ru Yeh (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
"Tryptophan Dioxygenase: Catalytic Mechanism and Allosteric Regulation"
10:10 am - 10:20 amDiscussion
10:20 amCoffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 amHarry Dailey (University of Georgia)
"Terminal Enzymes of Heme Synthesis, New Functions for Old Enzymes and New Enzymes with Unique Abilities"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pmWilhem Boland (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology)
"Chlorophyll Digestion and Function in the Insect Gut"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmDiscussion
12:10 pm - 12:25 pmMakiko Yasuda (Mount Sinai)
"RNAi-Mediated Inhibition of Hepatic Alas1 Effectively Prevents and Treats the Induced Acute Attacks in Acute Intermittent Porphyria Mice"
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 pmEvolution of the Cofactors of Life
Discussion Leader: Stuart Ferguson (University of Oxford)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pmClark Lagarias (UC Davis)
"Bilin-Based Light Sensor Evolution"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pmDiscussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pmJonathan Lindsey (North Carolina State University)
"A Chemical Model for the Prebiogenesis of Tetrapyrrole Macrocycles and the Origin of Photoactive Protocells"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pmDiscussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pmAlison Smith (University of Cambridge)
"Evolution of B12 Auxotrophy and Its Role in Signalling Between Organisms"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
WEDNESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmTetrapyrroles in Health and Disease
Discussion Leader: Celia Goulding (UC Irvine)
9:00 am - 9:30 amJean-Charles Deybach (Hôpital Louis-Mourier, Paris)
"Acute Intermittent Porphyria Causes Hepatic Mitochondrial Energetic Failure (TCA Cycle Cataplerosis) from Mouse Studies to Human Disease"
9:30 am - 9:40 amDiscussion
9:40 am - 10:10 amHelga Refsum (University of Oslo)
"Vitamin B12 and Dementia"
10:10 am - 10:20 amDiscussion
10:20 amCoffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 amBill Querbes (Alnylam)
"Development of ALN-AS1, a RNAi Therapeutic for the Treatment of the Hepatic Porphyrias"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pmTim Egan (University of Cape Town)
"New Chemical Approaches to Probing the Effects of Antimalarials on Heme Concentrations in the Malaria Parasite"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmDiscussion
12:10 pm - 12:25 pmAngela Fleischhacker (University of Michigan)
"Reduction of a Disulfide Bond in Human Heme Oxygenase-2 Reveals a Second Heme Binding Site"
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 pmDelivery, Repair And Change Of Activity
Discussion Leader: Gloria Ferreira (University of South Florida)
7:30 pm - 8:00 pmRuma Banerjee (University of Michigan)
"The Enzymology of B12 Trafficking"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pmDiscussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pmIqbal Hamza (University of Maryland)
"Control of Organismal Heme Homeostasis"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pmDiscussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pmJosef Komenda (Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)
"Delivery of Chlorophyll to Photosystem II During Assembly and Repair"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
THURSDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmTetrapyrroles in Applied and Synthetic Biology
Discussion Leader: Mark Shepherd (University of Kent)
9:00 am - 9:30 amJoseph Hupp (Northwestern University)
"Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Framework Materials"
9:30 am - 9:40 amDiscussion
9:40 am - 10:10 amRoss Anderson (University of Bristol)
"Constructing Man-Made C-Type Cytochromes for Biological Integration"
10:10 am - 10:20 amDiscussion
10:20 amCoffee Break
10:50 am - 11:20 amEmma Raven (University of Leicester)
"Heme Versatility - From Catalysis to Regulation"
11:20 am - 11:30 amDiscussion
11:30 am - 12:00 pmSteve Ragsdale (University of Michigan)
"Anaerobic Methane Metabolism and Biotechnological Applications"
12:00 pm - 12:10 pmDiscussion
12:10 pm - 12:25 pmDavid Leys (University of Manchester)
"Reductive Dehalogenase Structure Suggests a Mechanism for B12-Dependent Dehalogenation"
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 pmParadigm Shifts In Tetrapyrrole Biology
Discussion Leader: Matthew Terry (University of Southampton)
7:30 pm - 8:20 pmMasao Ikeda-Saito (Tohoku University)
"Two Distinct Heme Degradation Enzymes; The Heme Oxygenase and the IsdG-type Enzymes"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pmDiscussion
8:30 pm - 9:20 pmNeil Hunter (University of Sheffield)
"Photons to ATP: How Chlorophyll-Proteins Are Made, What They Do for Living, and How We Might Put Them to New Uses"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pmDiscussion
FRIDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDeparture

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History
Additional Fee Info

Cell Biology of Metals
August 3 - 8, 2025
Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles (GRS)
July 13 - 14, 2024
Drug Metabolism
July 6 - 11, 2025
Drug Metabolism
July 7 - 12, 2024
Metals in Biology
January 19 - 24, 2025
Photosynthesis
July 27 - August 1, 2025


Contact Us

MyGRC Account
Check your application status, complete your registration, update your poster, change your rooming preference, make a bus reservation, print an invitation letter, print a receipt (which includes verification that you are presenting a poster) or print an invoice by logging into your account.

GRC Venues
Everything you need to know, to plan your trip.

FAQs
Instant answers to common questions.

Tell us how we can help

Call us and leave a detailed message at: 401-783-4011

*This voicemail is only checked once daily. Due to high volume of requests during the conference season, responses may be delayed.

You have no notifications