Program

Sunday, July 13

TimeEvent
12 – 5 p.m.Check in at University Tower Apartments, 4500 Cass Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
5 – 5:10 p.m.Opening Remarks, Arun Anantharam, Ph.D.
General Lectures Building, 5045 Anthony Wayne Dr.
Plenary 1
5:10 – 5:55 p.m.
James Rothman, Ph.D., Yale University, USA
New Insights into Basic Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission
Plenary 2
6  – 6:45 p.m.
Jenny Hinshaw, Ph.D., NIH, USA
Cryo-EM of Dynamin Assemblies Bound to Endocytic-Relevant Phosphoinositides in Different Nucleotide States
7 – 9 p.m.Reception (dinner provided), St. Andrew’s Hall, 918 Ludington Mall

Monday, July 14

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7:30 – 8:30 a.m.Breakfast
Plenary 3
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Robert Edwards, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco, USA
The Biogenesis of Dense Core Vesicles
9:15 – 9:35 a.m.David Njus, Ph.D., Wayne State University, USA
Neuromelanin Precursors and the Unique Vulnerability of Dopaminergic Neurons in Parkinson’s Disease
9:35 – 9:50 a.m.Break

Session 1: Mechanisms of Exocytosis and Endocytosis I

Chairs: Ira Milosevic, Ph.D., and Prabhodh Abbineni, Ph.D.

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9:50 – 10:10 a.m.Jeremy Dittman, M.D., Ph.D., Weill-Cornell Medical College, USA
Assembling a Fusion Machine: Insights into the Synaptic Hub Protein Munc13
10:10 – 10:30 a.m.Volker Kiessling, Ph.D., University of Virginia, USA
Lipid-Protein and Protein-Protein Interactions Guiding SNARE-Mediated Membrane Fusion
10:30 – 10:50 a.m.Jihong Bai, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Institute, USA
Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis: Roles of Amphipathic Motifs
10:50 – 11:10 a.m.Michael Cousin, Ph.D., University of Edinburgh, UK
Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase IIα is a glycogen synthase kinase 3-regulated interaction hub for activity-dependent bulk endocytosis
11:10 – 11:25 a.m.Break

Session 2: Chromogranins I

Chairs: Teresa Pasqua, Ph.D. and Sushil Mahata, Ph.D.

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11:25 – 11:45 a.m.Teresa Pasqua, Ph.D., University of Calabria, Italy
Cardioprotective Effects of Novel Catestatin Peptides
11:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.Ennio Avolio, Ph.D., University of Calabria, Italy
Vasostatin-1 Restores Autistic Disorders in an Idiopathic Autism Model (BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J mice) by Decreasing Hippocampal Neuroinflammation
12:05 – 12:25 p.m.Sushil Mahata, Ph.D., UC San Diego, USA
Catestatin Modulates Adrenergic Signaling to Suppress Tauopathy and Improve Cognition in PS19 Mice
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.Lunch

Session 3: Intracellular Trafficking

Chairs: Rajesh Ramachandran, Ph.D. and Kevin Bohannon, Ph.D.

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1:30 – 1:50 p.m.Tina Lee, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
Regulation of ER membrane fusion by human Atlastin GTPases
1:50 – 2:10 p.m.Kevin Bohannon, Ph.D., University of Michigan
Resiliency, remodeling, and repair of the lysosomal membrane is mediated by ESCRTs
2:10 – 2:30 p.m.Michael Ailion, Ph.D, University of Washington, USA
A dense-core vesicle biogenesis pathway that bypasses the Golgi
2:30 – 2:50 p.m.Rajesh Ramachandran, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University, USA
Coincidence detection in mitochondrial membrane fission
2:50 – 3:05 p.m.Break

Session 4: Synaptic Transmission I

Chair: Meyer Jackson, Ph.D.

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3:05 – 3:25 p.m.Vitaly Klyachko, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, USA
Spatiotemporal regulation of synaptic release sites
3:25 – 3:45 p.m.Valentina Carabelli, Ph.D., University of Torino, Italy
Exogenous alpha-synuclein slows-down action potential firing and enhance dopamine release in Substantia Nigra dopamine neurons
3:45 – 4:05 p.m.Skyler Jackman, Ph.D., Vollum Institute, USA
Synaptotagmin 3 and 7 are Plasma Membrane Calcium Sensors that Regulate Vesicle Fusion
4:05 – 4:25 p.m.Meyer Jackson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, USA
Synaptic fusion pores and quantal release
4:25 – 4:40 p.m.Break

Session 5: Aquaporin-4 Vesicles in Health and Disease

Chair: Robert Zorec, Ph.D.

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4:40 – 5 p.m.Antonio Frigeri, Ph.D.
TBD
5 – 5:20 p.m.Jernej Jorgacevski, Ph.D., University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Vesicle Mobility and Plectin Coordinate Aquaporin 4 Localization and Water Homeostasis in Astrocytes and Glioblastoma
5:20 – 5:40 p.m.Robert Zorec, Ph.D., University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Adrenergic regulation of astrocyte vesicle traffic in health and disease
5:40 – 6:40 p.m.Poster Session I
6:40 p.m.Dinner (on your own) and free time

Tuesday, July 15

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7:30 – 8:30 a.m.Breakfast
Plenary 4
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Lukas Tamm, Ph.D., University of Virginia, USA
Control of insulin secretion by synaptotagmin isoforms and membrane lipids under healthy and diabetic conditions

Session 6: Insulin granule trafficking and secretion

Chair: Jeff Knight, Ph.D.

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9:20 – 9:40 a.m.Cedric Asensio, Ph.D., University of Denver, USA
Sorting of synaptotagmins to the insulin secretory granule
9:40 – 10:00 a.m.Xuelin Lou, Ph.D., Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
Unresolved mysteries of membrane trafficking in β cells: dynamin function and diabetes
10:00 – 10:20 a.m.Sathish Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., Yale University, USA
SNARE Complex Dynamics in Insulin Vesicle Fusion and Its Role in Aging and Metabolic Disorders
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.Jeff Knight, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver, USA
Carbonyl reactivity of C2 domain lysine clusters: Impacts on protein function and insulin secretion
10:40 – 10:55 a.m.Break

Session 7: Signaling and Secretion

Chair: Paul Kammermeier, Ph.D.

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10:55 – 11:15 a.m.Heidi Hamm, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, USA
Investigating the molecular mechanism of Gβγ-mediated inhibition of exocytosis through binding the SNARE complex
11:15 – 11:35 a.m.Matt Brody, Ph.D., University of Michigan, USA
Molecular Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Exocytosis and Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Secretion by the Rab3 Cycle
11:35 – 11:55 p.m.Lee Eiden, Ph.D., NIH, USA
PACAP as a neuropeptide co-transmitter in autonomic and central nervous systems at synapses specialized for stress
12 – 3 p.m.Lunch and free time

Session 8: Chromogranins II 

Chairs: Sushil Mahata, Ph.D. and Nitish Mahapatra, Ph.D.

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3 – 3:20 p.m.Geert van den Bogaart, Ph.D., University of Groningen, Netherlands
Inflammation promotes proteolytic processing of the prohormone chromogranin A
3:20 – 3:40 p.m.Sushma Dagar, Ph.D., National Brain Research Center, Manesar, India
Functional status of Regulated Exocytosis in Obesity-Induced Metabolic Stress
3:40 – 4Nitish Mahapatra, Ph.D., IIT Madras, India
Exploring the role of Chromogranin A in early-onset myocardial infarction
4 – 4:20 p.m.Sushil Mahata, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, USA
Catestatin Restores Cardiac Metabolic Flexibility and Mitochondrial Function by Reversing Insulin Resistance
4:20 – 4:35 p.m.Break

Session 9: Post pre-fusion and Pre post-fusion – the state-of-the-art for structural studies on intermediates of the membrane fusion of viral infections

Chair: Joshua Zimmerberg, M.D., Ph.D.

TimeEvent
4:35 – 4:55 p.m.TBD
4:55 – 5:15 p.m.Tijana Ivanovic, Ph.D., NIH, USA
TBD
5:15 – 5:35 p.m.Walther Mothes, Ph.D., Yale University, USA
Viral spike – receptor interaction and membrane fusion monitored by cryo-electron tomography
5:35 – 5:55 p.m.Joshua Zimmerberg, M.D., Ph.D., NIH, USA
Adventures with a.m.phipathic Peptides as Fusogens and Fusion Inhibitors

Wednesday, July 16

TimeEvent
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.Breakfast
Plenary 5
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Nathalie Guerineau, Ph.D., University of Montpellier, France
Stress-driven remodeling of stimulus-secretion coupling in the adrenal medulla

Session 10: Ion Channels and Secretion

Chair: Emilio Carbone, Ph.D.

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9:20 – 9:40 a.m.Geoffrey Pitt, M.D., PhD., Weill-Cornell Medical College, USA
Cav1.2 channels and hypoglycemia in Timothy syndrome
9:40 – 10:00 a.m.Christopher Lingle, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, USA
Nav channel Long-Term Inactivation defined by iFGF-A isoforms limits AP firing rates in CCs and other excitable cells
10:00 – 10:20 a.m.David Giovannucci, Ph.D., University of Toledo, USA
PACAP remodels chromaffin cell excitability and secretory activity
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.Emilio Carbone, Ph.D., University of Turin, Italy
TBD
10:40 – 10:55 a.m.Break

Session 11: O’Connor Early Career Awards Symposium

Chairs: Lee Eiden, Ph.D., and Uri Ashery, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
10:55 – 11:00 a.m.Introduction
11:00 – 11:15 a.m.Stefanie Geisler, Ph.D., University of Innsbruck, Austria
Genetic deletion of Stac2 affects electrical activity of chromaffin cells and mouse behavior
11:15 – 11:30 a.m.Elke Muntjewerff, Ph.D., Uppsala University, Sweden
Neuropeptide Catestatin modulates nerve-immune related inflammation
11:30 – 11:45 a.m.Anna De Bartolo, Ph.D., University of Calabria, Italy
The Chromogranin A-derived fragment (CgA 344–358), Cateslytin, alleviates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and injury in cardiomyocytes by inhibiting the MD-2/TLR4 interaction
11:45 a.m. – 12 noonQuanfeng Zhang, Ph.D., Peking University, China
Neurotransmitter Release and Regulation through Fusion Pore at Single Vesicle Level
12 – 1 p.m.Lunch

Session 12: Regulators of Chromaffin Cell Secretion I

Chair: Corey Smith, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
1 – 1:20 p.m.Sam Chen, Ph.D., University of Toledo, USA
Molecular mechanisms underlying PACAP-mediated chromaffin cell secretion
1:20 – 1:40 p.m.Kevin Currie, Ph.D., Cooper Medical College of Rowan University, USA
Control of catecholamine secretion from adrenal chromaffin cells by the serotonin transporter
1:40 – 2 p.m.Luis Miguel Guttierrez, Ph.D., Miguel Hernandez University, Spain
Membrane and organelle fusion caused by the Sphingosine derivative FTY-720 in Chromaffin cells
2 – 2:20 p.m.Elizabeth Seward, Ph.D., University of Sheffield, UK
GPCR regulation of Exocytosis in Chromaffin Cells – In Context
2:40 – 2:55 p.m.Break

Session 13: Nanoscale Dynamics from Priming to Fusion

Chair: Manfred Lindau, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
2:55 – 3:15 p.m.Sebastian Barg, Ph.D., Uppsala University, Sweden
Dynamic recruitment of Munc13 primes docked secretory granules for exocytosis
3:15 – 3:35 p.m.Debasis Das, Ph.D., Tata Institute, Mumbai, India
Role of fusion pores in quantal size variation – implications in cellular plasticity?
3:35 – 3:55 p.m.Adekunle Bademosi, Ph.D., Queensland Brain Institute, Australia
Dissection of Unc13A synaptic function at the nanoscale resolution
3:55 – 4:15 p.m.Maria Bykhovskaia, Ph.D., Wayne State University, USA
Molecular dynamics of the pre-fusion protein-lipid complex
4:15 – 4:30 p.m.Break

Session 14: Synaptic Transmission II

Chair: Andrew Frank, Ph.D.

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4:30 – 4:50 p.m.Kiel Ormerod, Ph.D., University of Toledo, USA
A drosophila model for neuropeptide sorting, capture and release
4:50 – 5:10 p.m.Kathrin Engisch, Ph.D., Wright State University, USA
Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity of quantal size in Mouse Cortical Cultures Requires Neuronal Rab3A
5:10 – 5:30 p.m.Andrew Frank, Ph.D., University of Iowa, USA
Mitochondrial dysfunction at synapses triggers a ROS-based homeostatic response
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.Posters II
6:30 – endDinner (on your own) and free time

Thursday, July 17

TimeEvent
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.Breakfast
Plenary 6
8:30 – 9:15 a.m.
Ling-Gang Wu, Ph.D., NIH, USA
Exo- and endocytosis: membrane transformations, molecular mechanics and functions

Session 15: Regulators of Chromaffin Cell Secretion II

Chair: Elizabeth Seward, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
9:20 – 9:40 a.m.Fernando Marengo, Ph.D., University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dynamin-2 mutations linked to neonatal-onset centronuclear myopathy impair exocytosis and endocytosis in adrenal chromaffin cells
9:40 – 10:00 a.m.Yongsoo Park, Ph.D., Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar
PIP2 Is An Electrostatic Catalyst for Vesicle Fusion by Lowering the Hydration Energy: Arresting Vesicle Fusion by Masking PIP2
10:00 – 10:20 a.m.Thomas Ferrand, University of Rouen, France
Chromogranin A / Phosphatidic acid interaction governs the regulated exocytosis in chromaffin cells
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.Normand Leblanc, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno, USA
Novel role of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in Na+ accumulation triggered by high intensity nanosecond electric pulses in adrenal chromaffin cells
10:40 – 10:55 a.m.Break

Session 16: SNARE-opathies

Chair: Jacqueline Burre, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
10:55 – 11:15 a.m.Ege Kavalali, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, USA
Insights into synapse nanostructure from analysis of SNARE disease variants
11:15 – 11:35 a.m.Shyam Krishnakumar, Ph.D., Yale University, USA
Molecular Characterization of VAMP2-associated Epileptic Phenotypes
11:35 – 11:55 p.m.Manu Sharma, Ph.D., Weill-Cornell Medical College, USA
How Tau Exits the Neurons
11:55 – 12:15 p.m.Jacqueline Burre, Ph.D., Weill-Cornell Medical College, USA
Syntaxin dysfunction in Munc18-1/STXBP1 Encephalopathies
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.Lunch 

Session 17: Secretory Vesicles

Chair: Ricardo Borges, M.D., Ph.D., and David Njus, Ph.D.

TimeEvent
1:15 – 1:35 p.m.Nicolas Vitale, Ph.D., University of Strasbourg, France
Subunits of the V0 segment of V-ATPase interact with the SNARE complex and regulate the synthesis of fusogenic lipids at the exocytotic sites
1:35 – 1:55 p.m.Ira Milosevic, Ph.D., University of Oxford, UK
New modes of the v-ATPase activity regulation in neurons and neuroendocrine cells
1:55 – 2:15 p.m.Hui Gu, Ph.D., University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Amperometry and Electron Microscopy show Stress Granules Induce Homotypic Fusion of Catecholamine Vesicles
2:15 – 2:35 p.m.Ricardo Borges, M.D., Ph.D., University of La Laguna, Spain
Delta granules in platelets vs chromaffin granules
2:35 – 2:50 p.m.Break

Session 18: Mechanisms of Exocytosis and Endocytosis II

Chair: Ruth Heidelberger, M.D., Ph.D.

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2:50 – 3:10 p.m.Huan Bao, Ph.D., University of Virginia, USA
Differential regulation of SNARE-mediated membrane fusion by annexins and TDP-43
3:10 – 3:30 p.m.Ruth Heidelberger, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas, Houston, USA
Roles of syntaxin 3 in membrane fusion and neurotransmitter release
3:30 – 3:50 p.m.Dixon Woodbury, Ph.D., Brigham Young University, USA
Structural changes in isoforms of SNAP-25 due to oxidation and adduct formation
3:50 – 4:05 p.m.Break

Session 19: Emerging Nano-biotechnologies

Chairs: Dekel Rosenfeld, Ph.D., and Valentina Carabelli, Ph.D.

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4:05 – 4:25 p.m.Ann-Sofie Cans, Ph.D., Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Recording of Fusion Pore Regulated Exocytotic Release of Acetylcholine and Glutamate
4:25 – 4:45 p.m.Ute Becherer, Ph.D., University of Saarland, Germany
Highly adaptable deep-learning platform for automated detection and analysis of vesicle exocytosis
4:45 – 5:05 p.m.Manfred Lindau, Ph.D., University of Miami, USA
Electrochemical Detector arrays in the study of exocytosis in chromaffin cells
5:05 – 5:25 p.m.Dekel Rosenfeld, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Israel
Emerging nanotechnologies to facilitate remote modulation of chromaffin cells
5:25 – 5:35 p.m.Closing remarks
6 p.m.Dinner (provided) – Elephant and Company Tap Room
456 Charlotte Street, Detroit, MI 48201