We are experiencing a period in which significant advances are being made in our understanding of processes that govern the organisation and physiology of the cell.  At the same time, we are gaining important knowledge on the mechanisms by which pathogens (viruses, bacteria and parasites) attach to, enter, move within and multiply inside cells. Pathogens and pathogen-derived molecules (including toxins) have become invaluable tools to study normal cellular processes. Thus the disciplines of cell biology and cellular microbiology are becoming more closely integrated.

The purpose of this EMBO Conference Series The Interface of Cell Biology and CellularMicrobiology is to bring together frontline research in these research areas, stimulating discussions across the disciplines. Because recent progress in functional genomics is yielding rapid progress in our understanding of how protein complexes control normal cellular functions, and how microorganisms use their own or the host’s macromolecular complexes for infection, the main focus of the 2006 conference will be on “Macromolecular Complexes in Microbial Pathogenesis, Membrane Trafficking and Cell Signalling”.

Minisymposia:

• Macromolecular assemblies of the secretory pathway

• Interactions of viruses with cells

• The molecular machineries of endocytosis and phagocytosis

• Cytoskeletal assemblies

• Protein injection machines

• Molecular mechanisms of innate immunity