About the Workshop
The genome carries information across generations, ensuring species survival. To preserve faithful transmission of genetic information, RNA-directed mechanisms safeguard the genome integrity in diverse life forms, from bacteria to mammals. Studies in conventional model organisms and cultured cells have shed light on such mechanisms, but recent discoveries revealed unexpected details of RNA-mediated mechanisms functioning in prokaryotes and non-model organisms. Furthermore, advances in molecular machine structures, spatial gene regulation, and reproductive biology offer crucial insights into RNA-directed genome defense. This EMBO Workshop will connect researchers in transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation, small RNAs, transposons, structural biology, and spatial gene organization to broaden technical expertise and perspectives in the field of RNA-guided genome protection. This EMBO Workshop also aims to strengthen the connection between mechanisms and developmental processes by linking biochemical and biophysical properties of RNA-guided machinery to stem cell maintenance, germ cell development, and reproduction. Lastly, dedicated sessions will explore the history and evolution of RNA-guided mechanisms, from prokaryotic defense to genetic conflict and adaptation.
Image credits: Josien van Wolfswinkel
About EMBO Courses and Workshops
EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity (at least 40% of speakers must be from the underrepresented gender).
Organisers are encouraged to implement measures to make the meeting environmentally more sustainable.