Molecular Mechanisms, Regulation and Integration of the Meiotic Program

Meiosis is the specialized cell division that is central to sexual reproduction, and defines the essence of heredity, underpinning chromosome segregation, genetic linkage and genome evolution. Defects in meiosis are responsible for infertility, pregnancy miscarriage, and prominent birth defects such as Down Syndrome. At least one quarter of all pregnancies are miscarried, and 1-2% of babies are born with numerical or structural chromosome abnormalities traceable to errors in meiosis, making it the leading cause of congenital disease. Basic and clinical research on meiosis aims to understand and prevent pregnancy loss and chromosomal birth defects. The manipulation of meiosis also has important applications, especially for agro-biotechnology such as the breeding, engineering and improvement of sexually reproducing organisms including crops and animals. Recent advances include techniques to produce haploid plants and to accelerate the recombination of desirable traits. Such techniques promise to revolutionize plant breeding.

The Meiosis Gordon Research Conference (GRC) is the premier international forum for researchers studying basic, clinical and applied aspects of meiosis and will be held at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH on June 26 - July 1, 2016. A Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), Molecular Foundations of Sexual Reproduction, dedicated to the pedagogy of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, will precede the main meeting from June 25-26. The 2016 Meiosis GRS will be held June 25-26 in the same location, immediately prior to the main GRC meeting. The GRS is a 1.5 day meeting, organized by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, which offers a unique opportunity for junior researchers to network, present unpublished studies, and discuss topics that will be covered during the 4½-day Meiosis GRC. The ongoing intellectual goal of these conferences is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underpin meiosis. The 2016 Meiosis GRC will emphasize emerging insights into the elaborate regulatory networks that control and integrate all aspects of meiotic prophase and thereby ensure the formation of balanced euploid gametes. The specific objectives of the meetings are to foster innovation, maximize participation across the career spectrum, create networks between young and established investigators, rapidly disseminate new and unpublished results, and promote interdisciplinary synergies.