Great Wall Symposium starts in Cascais

Oeiras, 28.09.11

The Great Wall Symposium starts today in Cascais. With a total of 120 participants, the symposium gathers international researchers working in the field of bacterial cell wall structure and function, a topic also covered by many labs at ITQB.

This 2nd Great Wall Symposium entitled “The Dynamics of Peptidoglycan Structure and Function: New Insights into the 'Great Wall' features the latest advances in the field of peptidoglycan metabolism. With new technologies available, microbiologists are rethinking aspects of peptidoglycan structure. In addition, microbial genetics is providing new insight into how the cell orchestrates the synthesis, breakdown and recycling of the molecule. Further, new data are emerging that demonstrate a role for peptidoglycan or peptidoglycan derivatives in communication among bacterial cells of the same species, different species, and between bacterial cells and eukaryotic host organisms. And finally, peptidoglycan is being recognized as a signaling molecule not only in pathogenesis, but also in the normal, beneficial interactions that animals have with their coevolved microbial partners.

The Great Wall Symposium counts with the participation and support of several ITQB researchers.