Scope and Topics

Scope:

Dyneins are gigantic motor proteins that power directional movement along microtubules. First identified in 1965, their large size and complexity have for many years made the elucidation of their cellular and molecular mechanisms challenging. The pace of dynein research has increased dramatically in the last decade and the field now has unprecedented insights into the structure, mechanism, and cell biology of these giant motors. The dynein superfamily is functionally diverse but can be divided into axonemal dyneins, that work in ensembles to power the beating movement of cilia and flagella, and cytoplasmic dyneins that participate in moving intracellular cargos within the cytoplasm or within cilia and flagella.

We are in an unprecedented era of understanding the structure of both types of dyneins thanks to the revolution in cryo-EM. We now have structures of cytoplasmic and axonemal dyneins, and an increasing knowledge of the architecture of the cilium. Advances in in vitro reconstitutions and precise biophysical measurements have revealed surprising details about how dyneins step along microtubules, produce force, and are regulated by intramolecular and intermolecular interactions. Cell biological studies have revealed a plethora of unanticipated physiological roles for cytoplasmic dyneins, and surprisingly elaborate pathways for the assembly of axonemal dyneins. Genetic studies are increasing our knowledge of how defects in dynein functions underlies human diseases. By all measures, we are in a golden era of breakthroughs for understanding the roles of dynein in biology!

The Dynein International Workshop has been held every four years in Japan since 2005. It brings together the broader dynein field to share novel results, network with others, open new collaborations across disciplines, and stay abreast of the latest research. The dynein workshop has been a cornerstone of the field for almost two decades. Its continuation will ensure vital communication and collegiality, and provide opportunities for junior researchers to disseminate their work and establish new connections. With the advent of the COVID pandemic in 2020 preventing travel across the globe, the next International Workshop on Dynein will be held online in 2021 in order to ensure this vital resource for the field continues.   

The scope of the Virtual International Workshop on Dynein 2021 will be the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control, distribute, and regulate dynein activity in cellular homeostasis and human disease. The meeting will broadly cover both cytoplasmic and ciliary/axonemal dyneins and their cellular functions. The live program will cover two short (4 hour) days, timed so participants can attend from all over the world.  There will be two talk sessions each day, with all talks selected from abstracts. Talks will be recorded and available to participants after the live session. Round table/networking sessions will facilitate interactions between participants.  Poster presentations will be recorded and available to download, with questions and discussion taking place online throughout the meeting.

A focus of the meeting will be to aid and integrate early career researchers with a strong interest in dynein biology into the larger dynein research community.

Topics:

Meeting topics will include:

1. Cytoplasmic dynein regulation
2. Cytoplasmic dynein cargo interactions
3. Dynein motor biophysics
4. Cytoplasmic and ciliary dynein structures
5. Intraflagellar transport
6. Mechanisms of cilia beating and axonemal dynein regulation
7. Dynein assembly
8. Dyneins in human disease