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Fertilization & Activation of Development
July 15-20, 2007
Holderness School
Holderness, NH
Chair:
George L. Gerton

Vice Chair:
Alberto Darszon

Fertilization, the fusion of a sperm with an egg, initiates the development of a new individual. There are many critical processes that culminate in fertilization, including meiotic maturation, cell motility, cell-cell recognition, exocytosis, cell-cell fusion, and the activation of the zygote. This conference will bring together junior and senior scientists from various regions of the world; from academic, governmental, and industrial sectors; and with wide-ranging experimental approaches to discuss recent advances and to consider present challenges in understanding these processes. It is anticipated that, in addition to model organism studies promoting a greater understanding of the basic biology of fertilization and early development, the health-related benefits and applications in wildlife conservation will be integrated into the discussions of the conference.

In addition to platform presentations, panel discussions and poster sessions will be scheduled to increase the interactions among participants. Afternoon outings in the rural New Hampshire environs and other social activities will also be organized during the course of the conference.

SUNDAY
2:00 pm - 11:00 pmArrival and Check-in
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 7:35 pmWelcome / Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff
7:35 pm - 9:30 pmPOST-TESTICULAR MATURATION OF SPERM
7:35 pm - 7:45 pmDiscussion Leader: Patricia Cuasnicu (Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Introduction
7:45 pm - 8:15 pm Daniel S. Johnston (Wyeth Research)
"Proteomics and genomics of the epididymis"
8:15 pm - 8:20 pm Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:50 pm Mark Baker (University of Newcastle)
"The proteomic analysis of sperm maturation"
8:50 pm - 8:55 pm Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:25 pm Mariana F. Wolfner (Cornell University)
"Interplay between seminal proteins and female Drosophila: implications for sperm, female physiology, and seminal protein evolution"
9:25 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
MONDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
8:45 amGroup Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pmROLE OF THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT IN GAMETE INTERACTIONS
9:00 am - 9:15 amDiscussion Leader: Steve L'Hernault (Emory University)
Introduction
9:15 am - 9:45 am Susan Suarez (Cornell University)
"The sperm reservoir in the mammalian oviduct"
9:45 am - 9:55 am Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am Tadashi Baba (University of Tsukuba)
"Functional defects of Tesp5-deficient mouse sperm in fertilization in vitro are restored by sperm transit through the uterus"
10:25 am - 10:35 am Discussion
10:35 am Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am Doug Chandler (Arizona State University)
"Chemotaxis of Xenopus sperm in response to the oviductal secreted CRISP allurin"
11:35 am - 11:45 am Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm Michael Miller (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
"Control of sperm recruitment to oocytes within the C. elegans reproductive tract"
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 6:00 pmFree Time
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmCHEMOTAXIS AND SPERM MOTILITY
7:30 pm - 7:45 pmDiscussion Leader: Janice Bailey (University of Laval)
Introduction
7:45 pm - 8:10 pm Jaclyn Nascimento (University of California at San Diego)
"Analysis of sperm motility using optical tweezers"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:45 pm Deborah A. O'Brien (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
"The Glycolytic Engine Fuels Sperm Motility"
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:20 pm Manabu Yoshida (Misaki Marine Biological Station, Kanagawa, Japan)
"Na+/Ca2+ exchanger modulates the flagellar wave pattern for the regulation of motility activation and chemotaxis in the ascidian spermatozoa"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
TUESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmSPERM-OOCYTE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX INTERACTIONS
9:00 am - 9:15 amDiscussion Leader: Daniel M. Hardy (Texas Tech Health Sciences University, Lubbock, TX)
Introduction
9:15 am - 9:45 am Jurrien Dean (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD)
"Evolving roles of the zona pellucida in sperm-egg recognition and induction of acrosome exocytosis"
9:45 am - 9:55 am Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am Suzannah A Williams (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY)
"Fertilization in mouse does not require terminal galactose or N-acetylglucosamine on the zona pellucida glycans"
10:25 am - 10:35 am Discussion
10:35 am Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am Peter Sutovsky (University of Missouri, Columbia, MO)
"The involvement of sperm 26S proteasome in sperm-zona pellucida interactions"
11:35 am - 11:45 am Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm William J. Snell (University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX) and Oliver Billker (Imperial College, London, UK)
"Gamete fusion in Chlamydomonas depends on a species-specific membrane adhesion protein and a conserved protein essential for fusion"
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session #1
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmSPERM SIGNALING
7:30 pm - 7:45 pmDiscussion Leader: Alberto Darszon (Univ. Nacional Autonoma de Mexico/Mexico)
Introduction
7:45 pm - 8:10 pm Pablo Visconti (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
"Signal transduction in sperm capacitation"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:45 pm Claudia Tomes (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina)
"EPAC - a novel cAMP-binding protein - is a mediator of sperm exocytosis"
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:20 pm Betsy Navarro (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA)
"CatSper and KSper, the two pH-sensitive sperm flagellar currents"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion
WEDNESDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmOOCYTE ARREST / EGG ACTIVATION
9:00 am - 9:15 amDiscussion Leader: Janice Evans (Johns Hopkins University)
Introduction
9:15 am - 9:45 am Richard Oko (Queen's University, Kinston, ON)
"Ontogeny of PAWP and role in fertilization"
9:45 am - 9:55 am Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am Karl Swann (Cardiff University, Wales, UK)
"PLCzeta and egg activation in mammals"
10:25 am - 10:35 am Discussion
10:35 am Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am Brigitte Ciapa (CNRS, Universite Paris, Paris, France)
"Role of calcium and MAP kinase in the control of the first mitotic divisions and of apoptosis in sea urchin embryo"
11:35 am - 11:45 am Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm Lynda K. McGinnis (University of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, KS)
"Localized Src-family kinase signaling in the mouse zygote and oocyte"
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 6:00 pmFree Time
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmPOLARITY OF EGG AND EARLY EMBRYO
7:30 pm - 7:45 pmDiscussion Leader: Carmen J. Williams (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA)
Introduction
7:45 pm - 8:10 pm Manqi Deng (Stowers Institute, Kansas City, MO)
"Polarity during polar body extrusion in mouse oocytes"
8:10 pm - 8:20 pm Discussion
8:20 pm - 8:45 pm Takashi Hiiragi (Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Muenster, Germany)
"Mechanism of first polarity establishment in the mouse embryo"
8:45 pm - 8:55 pm Discussion
8:55 pm - 9:30 pmBusiness Meeting
(Nominations for the next Vice Chair; Fill out Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss future Site & Scheduling preferences; Election of the next Vice Chair)
THURSDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pmGAMETES, EARLY EMBRYOS, AND EPIGENETICS
9:00 am - 9:15 amDiscussion Leader: William Kinsey (Univ. of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, KS)
Introduction
9:15 am - 9:45 am Rabindranath De La Fuente (University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA)
"Impaired meiotic chromosome synapsis in female germ cells deficient for the lymphocyte-specific helicase (Lsh)"
9:45 am - 9:55 am Discussion
9:55 am - 10:25 am Alexei V. Evsikov (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME)
"Eggs to Embryos: Does Ontogeny Recapitulate Phylogeny?"
10:25 am - 10:35 am Discussion
10:35 am Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:35 am Keith Latham (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA)
"Cloning by nuclear transfer: a look into genomic-cytoplasmic incompatibilities"
11:35 am - 11:45 am Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm Kevin Eggan (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA)
"Cloning and stem cells"
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm Discussion
12:30 pmLunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pmFree Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pmPoster Session #2
6:00 pmDinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pmCHAIRS AND A ROUND TABLE: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE OF FERTILIZATION AND ACTIVATION OF DEVELOPMENT
Discussion Leader: George L. Gerton (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA)
Round Table discussion led by former conference chairs. Reflection on themes of past meetings and discussion of current issues.
FRIDAY
7:30 am - 8:30 amBreakfast
9:00 amDepart
 
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