The Scope of this Workshop

Forty years ago dynein was first identified in Tetrahymena cilia. Dynein is the first microtubule-based force-generating ATPase to be discovered. Dyneins are now known to share a common core motor structure and this is adapted to produce a functionally diverse protein family whose members are essential for various cellular processes. Recent studies have greatly advanced our understanding of the dynein motor substructure and the mechanism underlying its force generation. Molecular genetic manipulations are beginning to address the functional significance of the multiple ATP-binding motifs present in dynein. And significant progress has been made in the understanding of how the many axonemal dyneins work in concert to produce the oscillatory bending of cilia and eukaryotic flagella.

Today, we are in an excellent position to draw a blueprint of future research on dynein. We are organizing the international workshop on molecular mechanism of axonemal and cytoplasmic dyneins. The focus of this workshop is on the structure, mechanics and regulation of individual dynein molecules, and the ensemble properties of dyneins in axonemes.

The workshop will address the following questions:

1) How are dynein molecules structured?
2) How do dyneins convert the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into mechanical work?
3) How are multiple dyneins, and the regulatory machinery, organized in the 9+2 axoneme?
4) How is the activity of each dynein integrated and regulated in axonemes to generate force to drive oscillatory movements of cilia and flagella?

The sessions will be organized so as to maximize opportunities for interdisciplinary group discussion and will be complemented by organized poster sessions for detailed presentation of experimental work. Participants will be selected on the basis of their contributions to the themes of this workshop. Preference will be given to young researchers, for whom we believe this experience will be of special career significance.