Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, Dynamics and Function

Conference Summary

This conference offers a timely and dynamic platform to examine the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a major hub for eukaryotic cell function. It orchestrates an array of essential processes that sustain cellular health and organismal physiology. A key function is the folding and processing of proteins entering the secretory pathway, which is vital for the development and normal functioning of pancreatic beta cells, plasma cells, and hepatocytes. Disruption in this aspect of ER function is a well-established contributor to diseases including neurodegeneration and cancer. More recent findings indicate that broader ER functions, including lipid homeostasis and organization of inter-organelle communication, are an important factor in human physiology and contribute to a spectrum of diseases.

Cells have devised many strategies to preserve ER function, including regulating gene expression, mRNA translation, ER protein import, protein degradation, and autophagy. Our understanding of how cells coordinate these adaptive responses, including activating death pathways when these adaptive responses fail, has grown enormously recently and continues to offer surprising new twists on fundamental cell biological and biochemical pathways.