A Delicate Balance: Cellular Mutation Pathways in Genetic Stability and Disease

The delicate balance among cellular pathways that control mutagenic changes in DNA will be the focus of the 2012 Mutagenesis Gordon Research Conference. Mutagenesis is essential for evolution, while genetic stability maintains cellular functions in all organisms from microbes to metazoans. Different systems handle DNA lesions at various times of the cell cycle and in different places within the nucleus, and inappropriate actions can lead to mutations. While mutation in humans is closely linked to disease, notably cancers, mutational systems can also be beneficial. The conference will highlight topics of beneficial mutagenesis, including full establishment of the immune system, cell survival mechanisms, and evolution and adaptation in microbial systems. Equal prominence will be given to detrimental mutation processes, especially those involved in driving cancer, neurological diseases, premature aging, and other threats to human health. Provisional session titles include Branching Pathways in Mutagenesis; Oxidative Stress and Endogenous DNA Damage; DNA Maintenance Pathways; Recombination, Good and Bad; Problematic DNA Structures; Localized Mutagenesis; Hypermutation in the Microbial World; and Mutation and Disease. The sessions will be based on presentations by leading scientists, and the program will also include short talks by younger investigators selected from submitted abstracts. The key goals of the conference are to bring together people representing diverse approaches, to stimulate presentation and discussion of new ideas, to catalyze new collaborations, and to encourage full involvement by those new to the field. The spectacular setting at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island is an added benefit that ensures a productive and enjoyable conference.