Abstract

The cellular protein quality control machinery with its central constituents of chaperones and proteases is vital for maintaining protein homeostasis (proteostasis) under physiological and stress conditions. It is increasingly recognized that an imbalance of cellular proteostasis, and hence a failure of the quality control machinery, is centrally implicated in aging and a plethora of genetic and acquired diseases such as neurodegeneration, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and cancer. This provides high medical relevance and momentum to this ever-growing field. This EMBO Workshop covers all major aspects of cellular protein quality control, including the mechanisms of individual machinery, the regulation of quality control networks in systemic cell responses, the connection between proteostasis control, protein translation, RNA biology and gene regulation, and the medical implications and innovative approaches to combat protein conformational diseases. The workshop will present cutting-edge research in the field, embracing a large range of disciplines including biochemistry/structural biology and chemistry, molecular and cell biology, and medicine. It is continuing the highly successful bi-annual EMBO conference series on this topic, which has been the central European conference with worldwide participation in this field. Its particular strength is to connect researchers from different disciplines, providing the basis for accelerated exchange of ideas, fostering collaborations and fundamental understanding of the protein quality control machinery at the molecular, cellular and organismal level, thus facilitating discovery as well as medical translation. The workshop will promote active scientific discourse among the participants through invited and keynote lectures, short talks selected from abstracts as well as flash talks, poster presentations, Round Table Lunches with prominent scientists, and by providing ample time for informal discussions in relaxed atmosphere. We will especially encourage young researchers early in their careers (PhD students, postdocs and young group leaders) to participate, to present their work and to establish connections with other scientists. The workshop takes place in a beautiful setting at the Mediterranean coast near the UNESCO-protected Serra de Tramuntana and the city of Palma de Mallorca.