The 107th West Lake Symposium on Protein Modification by Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like Molecules in Health and Disease was successfully held in Multi-function Hall 395, Nano Building, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, on May 14, 2014.
Dr. Xin-Hua Feng, Director of Life Sciences Institute (LSI for short), opened the forum at 9:00. Heextended a warm welcome to thedistinguished international and domestic speakers in the field, and gave a background introduction about the forum.
Executive vice president of Zhejiang University Zhaohui Wu addressed the audience. Hestressed that protein scienceis amongthe four major scientific research programsin China's "National Medium and Long-term Science and Technology Development Roadmap (2006-2020)", which will play a vital and significant role in leading the future development of science and technology, achievingleaping developmentin key areas, and building an innovative country. He believed that the West Lake Symposium would become a world-class academic forum in protein science research, and wished the meeting a great success.
About a dozen of the top international scholars in the ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like research field presented their work.
Professor Tony Hunter of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the United States, a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences and of the American Philosophical Society, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Royal Society of London, gave the keynote address. He presented a general overview on the significance of protein post-translational modifications. As examples, he presented his recent research on SUMO-mediated regulation of transcription in yeast and the role of Arkadia, as a novel ubiquitin E3 ligase with SUMO-binding property, in TGF-b signaling pathway. Professor Edward T. H. Yeh, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology,the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, introduced the main components of the sumoylation system and further described the role of SENP2 in epilepsy. Professor Hsien-Jien Kung, President of the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan and Director of Basic Research, U. C. Davis Cancer Center, introduced the epigenetic regulation of K-Rta and K-bZIP in KSHV. Professor Michael Matun of Johns Hopkins University presented his work on the role of SUMO proteases in controlling progression through mitosis. Professor Hsiu-Ming Shih, deputy director of Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, discussed the selection of acetylation and sumoylation in protein modification and its role in stress response. Professor Jinrong Peng, Dean of the College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, presented his research about Def and calpain3 in regulating p53 degradation in the nucleonus. Professor Ye-guang Chen from Tsinghua University, director of the State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, discussed the role of c-Cbl, as a ubiquitin E3 ligase, in the regulation of TGFb receptor II in cancer. Professor Shao-cong Sun, director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, introduced his recent work on the function of deubiquitination enzyme USP15 in CD4+ T cell differentiation. Professor Yi Sun, director of the Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, described the function of SAG/RBX2 E3 ubiquitin ligase in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Professor Anyong Xie from the Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, presented his work about the roles of TRIP12 ubiquitin ligase in DNA replication stress response. LSI Professors Yong Cang, JunHuang, Zongping Xia, and Yongqun Zhu also presented their own recent work.
The moderators of the symposium, LSI Director and Professor Xin-Hua Feng, LSI Assistant Director and Professor Yong Cang, and LSI Professor Zongping Xia presented crystal plaques to the speakers for their wonderful lectures and outstanding scientific achievements.
During the meeting, the lecture hall was full. The audiences consisted of faculty and graduate and undergraduate students were immersed in the academic feast. The one-day symposium, sponsored by the Institute of Science and Technology of Zhejiang University and organized by LSI, was concluded successfully at 18:00.
