Centromere Biology Gordon Research Conference - Project Summary/Abstract
Centromeres remain perhaps the most enigmatic regions of the genome, even though they provide the
foundation for chromosome segregation during every eukaryotic cell division. Despite the “complete sequencing”
of the human genome more than a decade ago, it was only recently that the first assembly of a human centromere
was completed. In addition, due to the highly repetitive nature of the centromere sequences in humans and most
other organisms, data from centromeres is excluded from almost all genome-wide studies that typically require
sequencing reads to map to a single locus. If we are to truly understand the genome, it is critical to address this
important gap in our understanding to reveal the nature of centromeres. Breaking through these challenges
requires a unique conceptual framework, and set of tools and technologies that combine genome technologies
(such as longer sequencing read lengths), computational and bioinformatics approaches, and together with
complementary functional biological studies.
The goal of the Centromere Biology conference is to substantially advance our understanding of the
centromere regions of each chromosome by convening researchers of diverse disciplines focusing on this
genomic locus. This meeting will bring together a diverse group of outstanding scientists to build a community
interested in understanding diverse aspects of centromere properties including the sequence, nature,
organization, evolution (including sequence diversity across the human population), and function of this
incredibly important and unique genomic locus. Speakers will represent the diversity of disciplines that this
community attracts including genomics, bioinformatics, genetics, epigenetics, biochemistry, biophysics,
structural biology, cell and molecular biology, as well as theory and modeling. We value this meeting as part of
a larger effort to build an inclusive and diverse the centromere community, including strong representation from
women and early career researchers.
