The 2010 Gordon Research Conference on “Phosphorylation and G Protein Mediated Signaling Networks” represents the 40th anniversary of this historic meeting. Established by Nobel Laureates Earl Sutherland, Edwin Krebs, Edmond Fischer and Al Gilman in 1970, this meeting was the first annual conference dedicated exclusively to mechanisms of signal transduction. While the conference title has evolved with our knowledge of cell signaling (“Cyclic AMP”, “Cyclic nucleotides”, “Second Messengers & Protein Phosphorylation”), the conference remains a premier venue for cutting-edge discoveries in diverse areas of signal transduction.

The 2010 conference is focused on mechanisms of regulation by protein phosphorylation and signaling networks downstream of major extracellular and intracellular cues. Global experts in the cellular and molecular functions of protein kinases and phosphatases will present the latest research on protein phosphorylation as a primary means of relaying intracellular signals. Approaches to bridge the gap between the kinome and the ever-expanding phosphoproteome will be one area of focus. Kinase-substrate pairs will also be placed in the broader context of complex signaling networks. These networks sense and relay a variety of signals (e.g., growth factors, nutrients, stress) to mount an integrated response altering cellular and organismal physiology. Speakers will also highlight key structural aspects of signaling proteins and the spatial and temporal regulation of signaling events. Finally, as targeted therapeutics for a wide variety of human diseases, including cancer and metabolic diseases, are geared toward manipulating signaling pathways, presentations will be given on pharmacological strategies affecting protein phosphorylation.

The 2010 conference has drawn an enthusiastic group of students, post docs, and faculty at all levels. With an intellectually robust program of talks and poster presentations given by a mix of outstanding junior investigators and established experts, we expect the conferees to interact in an exciting and collegial atmosphere. We are confident that this will be a fulfilling week of science on the southern coast of Maine.