Systems Biology in Yeasts – from Models to Applications: the 25th International Specialized Symposium on Yeasts (ISSY25), Hanasaari, Espoo (Finland), 18–21 June 2006

Abstract

Systems biology is a new and rapidly developing discipline in biology. Its ultimate goal is the synthetic and comprehensive understanding of living cells based on data obtained from genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, and using both mathematical modelling and bioinformatics approaches. Of course, this goal is difficult – if not impossible – to achieve, especially in complex multicellular organisms. Yeasts, especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae , are a useful model for systems biology, as they represent a well-studied unicellular eukaryote. But even if S. cerevisiae is the ideal model for a comprehensive understanding of systems biology, we are still dealing with a difficult task. Methods for quantifying cellular parameters are under vigorous development, allowing mathematicians to build models of cellular behaviour to environmental stimuli. This will help us to understand the relative importance of different metabolic pathways. Recently, yeast systems biology has matured into a rapidly developing field of comparative cell biology. Many methodologies exist, including metabolic engineering aiming at the construction of strains a la carte . The 25th ISSY symposium ‘Systems Biology in Yeasts – from Models to Applications’ was a pioneering event in yeast systems biology, held in the Hanasaari Conference Center in Espoo, Finland from 18–21 June (see http://issy25.vtt.fi/). The Symposium was headed by Prof. Merja Penttila from the VTT Technical Center of Finland, and the program consisted of 17 plenary lectures, 16 short lectures, two workshops, one panel discussion and two poster sessions. Approximately 240 scientists, representing 29 countries, participated …