The 2016 Gordon Conference on Chromatin Structure and Function will present leading-edge research on chromatin and its role in regulating gene expression, genome function and cell states. The meeting will highlight how chromatin structures, ranging from the nucleosome – the “building block” of chromatin – up to the dynamic three-dimensional spatial organization of chromatin, are regulated and how they control genome functions.

Questions at the frontier of the field will be addressed – how is the activity of chromatin proteins regulated, what is the cross-talk between different chromatin states, how does folding of chromatin allow for long-range gene regulation, what is the role of RNA in directing chromatin structure?

Presentations will encompass a wide variety of technical approaches – from Angstrom level description of chromatin components to visualization of micron-scale structures by light microscopy, and the use of quantitative proteomics and computational modeling. There will be a focus on new methods for engineering and re-engineering chromatin states to determine the relationships between chromatin structure and function, and on analysis at the level of single molecules and single cells.

This conference has a long history of attracting the very top researchers in the area of chromatin structure and function, and is an important forum for fostering new ideas, interactions and collaborations. We aim to integrate new members into this growing field; talks will be reserved for young scientists and minorities, and all applicants will have the opportunity to present a poster on their work. Many platform presentation topics will be selected from submitted abstracts to ensure inclusion of the latest developments during the formal sessions. Sufficient discussion time will be scheduled into every session to promote the lively exchange of ideas and interpretations and there will be ample time set aside in the afternoons and after the evening sessions for the informal interactions that have always played a key role at this conference.