Abstract

The GRC on RNA Editing is the only international meeting dedicated to nucleic acid modifications. The 2019 meeting is subtitled "Next-generation epitranscriptomics in health and disease". RNA and DNA modifications are programmed in nearly all organisms and influence many fundamental processes including gene expression, protein expression, metabolism, epigenetics, cognition, innate and adaptive immunity, autoimmune disease, viral infection and cancer. While different enzymes and molecular machines are responsible for generating the large repertoire of editing and modification events present in individual cells, tissues, organisms and disease states, there are many conceptual and mechanistic similarities and researchers investigating these diverse processes have benefited immensely from the theoretical and technical advances of complementary areas. Thus, the GRC on RNA Editing fosters the ever-increasing need to exchange ideas among researchers who are at the forefront of these exciting, fast-moving and diverse fields with the goal of continuing to promote a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms as well as the physiological functions and pathological processes governed by nucleic acid editing and modification events. The 2019 Gordon Research Conference on RNA Editing will be the eleventh in a biennial series that began in 1997, opening a new chapter of the rapidly growing field. There will be over 50 oral and 100 poster presentations representing most areas of RNA and DNA editing and modification. The program will have nine sessions, which will be organized to bring together experts and trainees working on different systems with common areas of interest. Presentations will be from scientists at all stages of their careers, including many investigators new to this field and a number selected from submitted abstracts. In addition, the program will include four poster sessions at which all participants are encouraged to present and discuss results. As is our tradition, we will strive to provide a gender balanced and an ethnically and geographically diverse meeting that allows investigators to present novel findings and new approaches, while also providing a collegial opportunity for all participants to interact, which will lead to new insights and a deeper understanding of editing and modification mechanisms.