Molecular Systems and Community Responses

The 2014 Microbial Stress Response Gordon Research Conference will bring together researchers from the biological and physical sciences that are investigating stress responses in environmental, industrial, and medically relevant contexts. These stress responses are central to understanding and controlling microbial survival in the vast array of environmental niches inhabited by microbes. Whether in aquatic, soil, or host environments, microbes must respond to fluctuations in temperature, the concentrations of ions, nutrients, oxygen or other electron acceptors, toxins, and osmolytes. Survival and subsequent niche specialization by microbes relies upon both individual cellular responses and community interactions in these environments. Bringing together attendees who study a variety of stresses and organisms leads to the discovery of both important overlapping commonalities and divergences, which are critical as the field increasingly exploits systems biology-based approaches to understand stress responses. For many, the research is directly applied to current, highly relevant topics such as the environment (biofuel production, geomicrobiology, climate change) and public health (antimicrobial resistance, disease persistence, normal microbiota). The Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Response uniquely encompasses the wide range of cutting edge approaches utilized in this research, and provides the premier forum for the exchange of scientific discoveries in the field. The Conference offers an open, welcoming meeting where junior and senior scientists present their research in talks or at posters with many of the talks being chosen from submitted abstracts.