The Gordon Conference on Microbial Adhesion and Signal Transduction attracts a diverse group of speakers with interests and research programs spanning the most fundamental and actively investigated topics in current microbiology. Themes covered in the conference include (but are not limited to) bacterial-bacterial interactions and communication, bacterial and protozoan interactions (both symbiotic and pathogenic) with animal and human hosts, gene regulation and regulatory networks, cell signaling and information processing, cell structures and assembly, cell biology, and microbial evolution. A central goal of this conference is an in-depth examination of selected examples of well studied model microbial systems in the areas mentioned. However, newly discovered and less well studied microbial systems will be highlighted. The invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines and include geneticists, biochemists, immunologists, cell biologists, animal and plant physiologists, chemists, theoreticians, engineers, and computer scientists. This diversity, coupled with the intimate setting provided by the GRC, makes an ideal venue for interaction between scientists trained in widely different fields and serves to promote interdisciplinary collaborations.