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The complexity of living: when biology meets theory
Author(s) -
Salinas Sara,
Gov Nir
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.1038/embor.2009.195
Subject(s) - biology , evolutionary biology , computational biology
The second installment of the EMBO Conference Series on Systems Dynamics of Intracellular Communication, Spatial 2009: Overcoming Distance in Signaling Networks, took place between 15 and 19 March 2009, at Maale Hachamisha, Jerusalem Hills, Israel, and was organized by M. Fainzilber, G. Schiavo and B. Kholodenko.![][1] See Glossary for abbreviations used in this articleLike the previous meeting in this series in 2007 (Bronfman & Kapon, 2007), Spatial 2009: Overcoming Distance in Signaling Networks focused on understanding how cells and organisms are able to integrate signals in space and time. This broad topic was addressed by a multidisciplinary line up of speakers from diverse fields including cell biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, physics, mathematics and genetics. Together, the various sessions covered major questions about biological processes that ranged from neurite growth and degeneration, spacing and patterning, and polarity and chemotaxis, to oscillations and noise, motor‐driven traffic, and shape and size.The intricate spatial organization of many signalling pathways and protein interaction networks in cells has been investigated by using high‐resolution imaging, new experimental techniques and improved analytical methods. The resulting observations have led to new theoretical models and in vitro experiments that provide a greater understanding of the highly coordinated spatial and temporal patterns within cells and during cell migration. More specifically, they have emphasized the fact that the precise localization on the membrane of active forms of soluble proteins, or clusters of proteins, has a key role in driving the formation of localized dynamic structures and cellular responses.E. Stelzer (Heidelberg, Germany) presented a useful technical advance for the field by describing a new method for imaging cells and organisms that uses light sheet‐based fluorescence microscopy (LSFM; Keller et al , 2008). LSFM excites only fluorophores in the illuminated plane, thus avoiding photo‐damage, which gives the technique a distinct advantage for … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif