Symposium LXIII: Mechanisms of Transcription
Transcription, the copying of one strand of DNA into a complementary RNA sequence, was the topic of the 63rd CSHL Symposium, Mechanisms of Transcription. For five days, from June 3 to June 8, Grace Auditorium was filled with talk of promoters, transcription factors, and chromosome structure. In attendence were the best-known scientists in the field, as well as many younger ones.
On Sunday evening, as is customary, the Laboratory welcomed neighbors and friends for the annual public Dorcas Cummings Lecture. Ronald M. Evans, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the Salk Institute, discussed "The Molecular Biology of Fat: Weighing the Risks," a subject of broad interest to a general audience.
Dr. Evans described the role of hormones, the signaling molecules secreted by glands and other tissues. Hormones coordinate the activities of organs and tissues by regulating gene activity. His group discovered a hormone called 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2, which directs muscle and fibroblast cells to become fat cells. This hormone is now being used to treat type II diabetes. Evans advocated a diet with fewer saturated fats, such as a Mediterranean-style diet which is rich in legumes and grains.
Jim and Liz Watson invited Australian artist Lewis Miller to attend the annual Symposium as artist-in-residence. Miller sketched visiting scientists at meeting sessions, breaks, and at the Symposium picnic. A collection of his marvelous framed sketches now appears along the staircase in Blackford Hall.