Program
Download below the program of the LS2 Annual Meeting 2024 and its Young Scientists' Satellite:
| Tuesday | 13.02.202412:00 – 19:00 |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Registration - Young Scientists' Satellite |
| 12:30 – 12:35 | Welcome Address |
| 12:35 – 12:40 | Introduction from YSSM Chairs |
| 12:40 – 13:15 | Keynote Lecture YSS Melina SCHUH Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, DE➤ Visit Schuh's Lab Page Mammalian oocytes store proteins for the early embryo on cytoplasmic lattices Mammalian oocytes are filled with poorly understood structures called cytoplasmic lattices. First discovered in the 1960s, and speculated to correspond to mammalian yolk, ribosomal arrays, or intermediate filaments, their function has remained enigmatic to date. We found that cytoplasmic lattices are sites where oocytes store essential proteins for early embryonic development. Using super-resolution light microscopy and cryo-electron tomography, we show that cytoplasmic lattices are composed of filaments with high surface area, which contain PADI6 and subcortical maternal complex proteins. The lattices associate with many proteins critical for embryonic development, including proteins that control epigenetic reprogramming of the preimplantation embryo. Loss of cytoplasmic lattices by ablation of PADI6 or the subcortical maternal complex prevents the accumulation of these proteins and results in early embryonic arrest. Our work suggests that cytoplasmic lattices enrich maternally-provided proteins to prevent their premature degradation and cellular activity, thereby enabling early mammalian development. Hide text… |
| 13:15 – 14:00 | Scientific Symposium I Selected speakers from abstracts |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Coffee Break |
| 14:30 – 15:15 | Scientific Symposium II Selected speakers from abstracts |
| 15:15 – 15:45 | Prix Schläfli 2023 Winner Lecture Joël BLOCH The Rockefeller University, US➤ Visit Bloch's Lab Page Structural insights into protein N-glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum In eukaryotic protein N-glycosylation a series of glycosyltransferases catalyze the biosynthesis of a lipid-linked oligosaccharide before its transfer onto acceptor proteins. The final seven steps occur in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and require lipid-linked mannose and glucose as donor substrates. The responsible enzymes—ALG3, ALG9, ALG12, ALG6, ALG8, and ALG10—are glycosyltransferases of the C-superfamily (GT-Cs), which has long been loosely defined as containing membrane-spanning helices and processing isoprenoid-linked carbohydrate donor substrates. We present electron cryo-microscopy (Cryo-EM) structures of yeast ALG6, revealing a novel transmembrane protein fold. A comparison with reported GT-C structures suggests that GT-C enzymes contain a modular architecture with a conserved module and a variable module, each with distinct functional roles. Using synthetic analogs of lipid-linked substrate sugars and reconstituting the ALG pathway in vitro we generate donor and acceptor substrates and recapitulate the activity of ALG6 in vitro. A cryo-EM structure of ALG6 bound to a synthetic analog of its substrate dolichylphosphate-glucose reveals the active site of the enzyme and allows us to speculate on its enzymatic mechanism. Our results define the architecture of ER-luminal GT-C enzymes and provide a structural basis for understanding their catalytic mechanisms. Hide text… |
| 15:45 – 16:15 | Coffee Break |
| 16:15 – 17:45 | Career workshop - “Providing evidence for the skills that stay with you” by hfp consulting (DE) Sašo KOČEVAR hfp consulting, DE➤ Visit Kočevar's Lab Page Annika LÜBBERT hfp consulting, DE➤ Visit Lübbert's Lab Page Researchers preparing for their next career step inside or outside of academia are often unsure about transferable skills (employability skills) and how to provide evidence for these competencies from their own career track. We will use this interactive workshop to raise awareness of the individual skill sets of the participants and will provide a frame how to structure these. Additionally, participants will learn and apply a universal tool how to provide evidence for diverse transferable skills and assertively communicate this. Goals |
| 17:45 – 17:50 | Closing Remarks |
| 17:50 – 19:00 | Meet & Great Apero |
| Wednesday | 14.02.202408:00 – 19:15 |
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Registration & Welcome Coffee |
| 09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome Address |
| 09:10 – 09:45 | Keynote Lecture Nicole KING University of California, Berkeley, US➤ Visit King's Lab Page Why choanoflagellates are so rarely “in the mood” The evolution of animals from their protozoan ancestors marks one of the most pivotal, and poorly understood, events in life’s history. As the closest living relatives of animals, choanoflagellates offer unique windows into animal origins and core features of animal cell biology. First, I will describe how the study of choanoflagellates has enriched our understanding of the first animals. Then I will focus on our most recent work, in which we have serendipitously discovered how the onset of mating behavior in choanoflagellates is regulated. This work provides insights into the evolution of gametogenesis in animal progenitors. Hide text… |
| 09:45 – 10:15 | Lelio Orci Award Lecture 2023 Wanda KUKULSKI University of Bern, CH➤ Visit Kukulski's Lab Page Linking membrane architecture and function Cellular membranes compartmentalise eukaryotic cells and host a large variety of functions. Many of these functions are tightly linked to membrane architecture. Despite their importance, little is known about how membrane shape, protein composition and supramolecular organization impact each other, and how their interplay supports cellular processes. Our aim is to understand mechanisms by which membrane architecture contributes to cellular functions. In particular, we study the architecture of organelle contact sites and mitochondrial membrane dynamics. We use CLEM to localize fluorescent signals in electron tomograms, and thereby link the presence or absence of key proteins to 3D membrane ultrastructure. To image protein assemblies within their native membrane environment, we use cryo-electron tomography of cells thinned by cryo-focused ion beam milling. We complement these methods with biochemistry, genetic perturbations, and live fluorescence microscopy. I will present how we use this approach to address questions in cellular membrane biology. Hide text… |
| 10:10 – 10:45 | Coffee Break & Industry Exhibition |
| 10:45 – 12:45 | PIs of Tomorrow Competition (PIOT) |
Prix Schläfli 2023 Award Nomination | |
| 12:45 – 14:25 | Lunch Break / Industry Exhibition / Poster Viewing |
Feedback Session PIs of Tomorrow | |
| 14:25 – 16:10 | Parallel Symposia Session I |
Genome stability and non-coding RNAs Florian STEINER University of Geneva, CH➤ Visit Steiner's Lab Page Organized and chaired by Pei-Hsuan Wu (UNIGE) and Ramesh Pillai (UNIGE) Selected speakers from abstracts | |
Functional tools and therapeutic applications at the crossroads of chemistry and biology Raphaël RODRIGUEZ Institut Curie / CNRS, FR➤ Visit Rodriguez's Lab Page Angela STEINAUER EPFL, CH➤ Visit Steinauer's Lab Page Philip R. SKAANDERUP Novartis, CH➤ Visit Skaanderup's Lab Page Thomas FRISCHMUTH Baseclick, DE➤ Visit Frischmuth's Lab Page Organized by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (DMCCB) of the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS) Chaired by Yimon Aye (EPFL) Industry talk Thomas Frischmuth (Baseclick, DE) "Novel bioconjugation strategies for modification, detection and targeting of Nucleic acids"
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
Crossing membranes: Structural and functional insights into transporters and channels Cristina PAULINO Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), DE➤ Visit Paulino's Lab Page Organized by Ion channels and Membrane Transporters Section of LS2 and sponsored by Solgate. Chaired by Manuele Rebsamen (University of Lausanne) & Cristina Manatschal (University of Zurich).
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
| 16:10 – 16:40 | Coffee Break / Industry Exhibition / Poster Viewing |
| 16:40 – 17:15 | EMBO Keynote Lecture Pavel TOMANCAK Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, DE➤ Visit Tomancak's Lab Page Evolution of Morphogenesis My presentation will examine how physico-chemical feedback loops that underly most of development are initiated in ontogeny and how they evolve. It shall be a tale of hydras and flies. Hide text… |
| 17:15 – 19:15 | Apero / Poster Session I / Industry Exhibition |
| Thursday | 15.02.202408:15 – 17:15 |
| 08:15 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome Address |
| 09:05 – 09:40 | Keynote Lecture Samer HATTAR National Institute of Mental Health, US➤ Visit Hattar's Lab Page Beyond vision: impacts of light on animal behavior |
| 09:40 – 10:20 | Coffee Break / Industry Exhibition / Poster Viewing |
| 10:20 – 12:05 | Parallel Symposia Session II |
DNA Integrity Aura CARREIRA Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), SP➤ Visit Carreira's Lab Page Organized by MCB Section of LS2 Chaired by Petr Cejka (Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Università dell Svizzera italiana)
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools for drug discovery Amedeo CAFLISCH University of Zurich, CH➤ Visit Caflisch's Lab Page Organized by Swiss Society of Experimental Pharmacology (SSEP) Chaired by Georgia Konstantinidou (UNIBE) and Carole Bourquin (UNIGE)
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
Cardiovascular insights from single cell analysis Menno DE WINTHER Amsterdam UMC, NL➤ Visit de Winther's Lab Page Luisa SPISAK Bucher Biotec AG, CH➤ Visit Spisak's Lab Page Organized by Cardiovascular Biology Section of LS2 Chaired by Marie-Luce Bochaton-Piallat (UNIGE) and Christophe Montessuit (UNIGE) Industry talk Luisa Spisak (Bucher Biotech AG ) "Unlocking the Future of Cardiovascular Sample Preparation for Genetic
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
| 12:05 – 13:05 | Lunch Break / Industry Exhibition |
| 13:05 – 14:05 | Poster Session |
| 14:05 – 15:50 | Parallel Symposia Session III |
Windows to the Wonders of Life David Niklas WISSEL University of Zurich, ETH Zurich / Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, CH➤ Visit Wissel's Lab Page Organized by Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) Chaired by Katja Baerenfaller (University of Zurich /SIB)
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
Molecules in motion: Revealing time-resolved processes in biology Franka VOIGT University of Zurich, CH➤ Visit Voigt's Lab Page Organized by Biophysics Section of LS2 Chaired by Beat Fierz (EPFL) and Stefanie Jonas (ETHZ)
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
The Contribution of One Health for Life Sciences: Fostering from collaboration between Switzerland and the Global South Pascale VONAESCH Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, CH➤ Visit Vonaesch's Lab Page Organized and chaired by Salome Duerr (UNIBE) and Hugues Abriel (UNIBE)
Selected speakers from abstracts | |
| 15:50 – 16:10 | Coffee Break / Industry Exhibition / Poster Viewing |
| 16:10 – 16:40 | Friedrich Miescher Award Lecture 2024 Charlotte AUMEIER University of Geneva, CH➤ Visit Aumeier's Lab Page Motor proteins modulating Microtubule Shaft Dynamics Tubulin dimers assemble into dynamic microtubules which are used by molecular motors as tracks for intracellular transport. Organization and dynamics of the microtubule network is commonly thought to be regulated at the polymer ends, but recent results show that renewal of the microtubule shaft also impacts microtubule dynamics. However, the impact of shaft dynamics on the microtubule network is not understood, especially in a cellular contest. We show that, kinesin1 is not just using microtubules as tracks, but controls renewal of the microtubule track they are walking on. The kinesin-microtubule system is very efficient, within 15 min 20% of the microtubule is renewed. Thereby kinesin1 controls the lifetime, length, and organization of the cellular microtubule network. The car is not just using the street but reconstructing the street and organizing the street network. Hide text… |
| 16:40 – 17:10 | Award Ceremony |
| 17:10 – 17:15 | Closing Remarks & Acknowledgements |