Report on the First International Conference on the Mammalian Centromere

Abstract

On 2±4 October 1998, the First International Conference on the Mammalian Centromere (FICMC) was held at the Chung Shan Medical and Dental College in Taichung, Taiwan. This historic event was attended by 15 internationally invited speakers and over 80 participants, bringing together geneticists, molecular and cell biologists and clinical scientists to establish our current knowledge of this `heart of the eukaryote chromosome'. The scienti®c programme consisted of four sessions, which included topics on centromeric DNAs and proteins, neocentromeres and epigenetic mechanisms, structure and assembly of the kinetochore, regulation of cell division and checkpoint controls, generation and manipulation of arti®cial minichromosomes and centromeric autoantibodies. Speakers was asked to review the highlights of their ®eld as well as to share with us their most recent ®ndings. To our delight, the conference generated many intense debates and discussions, with one of the few agreements being that further studies are required to elucidate the structure and function of this critical chromosome domain. This conference could not have been possible without the combined efforts and dedication of numerous individuals. First, I would like to thank Drs G. J. Tsay (President, FICMC), M. Y. Chou, and S. Y. Li (Local Organizing Committee Members) and E. M. Tan and K. H. A. Choo (International Advisory Board) for their vision and efforts in organizing this meeting. I also extend my sincere thanks to Ms Melodie Lin (Secretary, FICMC) and the faculty and students at Chung Shan Medical and Dental College for their hard work and warm hospitality. Funding for this meeting was provided by the Department of Health (ROC), the National Science Council (ROC), the National Health Research Institute (ROC), the Department of Health (Taiwan Provincial Government) and the Shin Yuan Foundation. Following is an abstract compendium for the conference.