5th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference
Norwich UK
6th – 10th September 2002
PROGRAMME of TALKS
DAY 1 (Friday 6th September 2002)
14:30 – 17:45 Arrivals and Registration at Sainsbury Centre Restaurant (Univ. East Anglia)
Session 1
Nitrogen in global agriculture and the environmentLecture Theatre No. 1, Univ. East Anglia
Sir John E. Beringer University of Bristol (UK) Chair
18:00 Chairman’s Introduction
18:10 Jules Pretty, University of Essex (UK) L1.1
Sustainable agriculture: the importance of nitrogen
18:40 Peter Goddard, Norsk Hydro ASA (Norway) L1.2
Agronomic and environmental significance of nitrogen fertilisers
19:10 Peter Gresshoff, University of Queensland (Australia) L1.3
Exploitation of biological nitrogen fixation in global agriculture
19:40 General Discussion
20:00 Barbecue
DAY 2 (Saturday 7th September):
Lecture Theatre, John Innes CentreMORNING
09:00 Tributes: -
to Werner Klipp - Ray Dixon
to Barbara Burgess – Roger Thornley
Session 2 Genomics, taxonomy and evolution
Doug Cook (USA) Chair
09:10 Gyorgy Kiss (Hungary) L2.1
Map based cloning of a receptor kinase gene from alfalfa
09:35 Andrea Pedrosa (Austria) L2.2
FISH and chromosome based mapping in Phaseolus
10:00 Peter Young (UK) L2.3
Genome evolution in rhizobia
10:25-11:00 Coffee
Session 3 Rhizosphere interactions and root surface signals
Jos Vanderleyden (Belgium) Chair
11:00 Allan Downie (UK) L3.1
Quorum sensing in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae
11:25 David Barker (France) L3.2
Signalling in the Rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses
11:50 Raphael Rivilla (Spain) L3.3
Salt induced changes in surface polysaccharides of Sinorhizobium meliloti EFB1
12:15 Gladys Alexandre-Jouline (USA) L3.4
Energy taxis in Azospirillum
12:40- 14:00 Lunch
Meeting of ENFC International Steering Committee (JIC Boardroom)
AFTERNOON
Session 4 Molecular structure and function
Roger Thorneley (UK) Chair
14.00 Chris Pickett (UK) L4.1
Electron-transfer chemistry of the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase
14:25 Dennis Dean (USA) L4.2
Recent progress in nitrogenase enzymology
14:50 Daniel Kahn (France) L4.3
Structural basis for phosphorylation-induced activation of the FixJ response regulator
15:15 Linda Th` ny-Meyer (Switzerland) L4.4
Cytochrome c maturation
NIFEED Workshop discussion (Room G36.37) concurrent with this session
15:40 –16:10 Coffee
Session 5 Signal transduction cascades in bacteria and plants
Jens Stougaard (Denmark) Chair
16:10 Bernd Masepohl (Germany) L5.1
Regulation of nitrogen fixation in the phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus
16:35 Ruth Schmitz (Germany) L5.2
Regulation of nitrogen fixation in Klebsiella pneumoniae: the role of Fnr in oxygen signal-transduction
17:00 Clare Gough (France) L5.3
Genetic dissection of Nod factor signalling in Medicago truncatula
17:25 Simona Radutoiu (Denmark) L5.4
Positional cloning of LjSym1, a symbiotic gene involved in rhizobial signal perception and signal transduction
17:50- 19:30 Poster Session I
(Those with odd-numbered posters should be available 18:00 – 19:00)
20:15 Dinner
DAY 3 (Sunday 8th September)
MORNING
Session 6 Transcriptome and proteome analysis
Alf Pühler (Germany) Chair
08:45 Michael Udvardi (Germany) L6.1
Exploring nodule transport and metabolism in Lotus japonicus with transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics
09:10 Helge Kuester (Germany) L6.2
Expression profiling in European Medicago truncatula genome projects: using 6K microarrays as tools to identify genes relevant for root endosymbioses
09:35 Jacques Batut (France) L6.3
Transcriptome analysis of Sinorhizobium meliloti: a tool for deciphering the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis
10:00 Xavier Perret (Switzerland) L6.4
Nodule-specific regulatory networks in Rhizobium sp. NGR234
10.25-11:00 Coffee
Session 7 Nitrogen Regulation and N-assimilation
Christina Kennedy (USA) Chair
11:00 Barbara Reinhold-Hurek (Germany) L7.1
PII proteins in Azoarcus
11:25 Franscisco Florencio (Spain) L7.2
Signalling of nitrogen in cyanobacteria: the role of 2-oxoglutarate
11:50 Eduardo Patriarca (Italy) L7.3
Ammonium transport and assimilation in R. etli and R. leguminosarum
12:15 Lene Krusell (Germany) L7.4
Identification of the Har1 gene involved in regulation of nodule and root development
12:40-13:40 Lunch
AFTERNOON
Session 8
Physiological aspects of nitrogen fixationHauke Hennecke (Switzerland) Chair
13:40 Hans-Martin Fischer (Switzerland) L8.1
A redox regulatory network controls symbiotic nitrogen fixation and related microaerobic processes in Bradyrhizobium japonicum
14:05 Jean-Jacques Drevon (France) L8.2
Aquaporin overexpression in legume root-nodule cortical parenchyma: Why ?
14:30 Alain Puppo (France) L8.3
Role of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide and glutathione in the establishment of the Sinorhizobium meliloti – alfalfa symbiosis
14:55 Philip Poole (UK) L8.4
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is driven by an amino acid shuttle in Rhizobium leguminosarum
15:20- 15:50 Coffee
Session 9 EU collaborations with developing countries
(NIFEED workshop organised by Janet Sprent)
Ursula Priefer (Germany) Chair
15:50 Ferdinand Kaser (EU) L9.1
EU collaborations
16:15 Kristina Lindström (Finland) L9.2
Exploratory work in the field of rhizobia facilitated by EU funding
16:40 David Odee (Kenya) L9.3
EU collaboration in Africa: nitrogen fixation research challenges and opportunities
16:55 Xue-Xiang Zhang (China) L9.4
Astragalus sinicus rhizobia belong to two distinct genotypes in the genus of Mesorhizobium
17:10 Hassna Founoune (Senegal) L9.5
Relationships between growth of several species of woody legumes from Calliandra genus and their nodules occupancy under greenhouse conditions in Senegal
17:25 - 18:30 (Poster Session II)
(Those with even-numbered posters should be available 17:35 – 18:30)
18:45 Coaches depart (JIC)
(Conference bags can be left overnight at JIC.)
19:15 Civic Reception
Dinner at a Restaurant of your choice in Norwich city
Coaches return to UEA at 22.00, 22.30, 23.00, 23.30.
DAY 4 (Monday 9th September)
MORNING
Session 10 Cell differentiation
Andrzej Legocki (Poland) Chair
09:00 Antonia Herrero (Spain) L10.1
Nitrogen regulation of cyanobacterial heterocyst differentiation and function
09:25 Martin Parniske (UK) L10.2
Dissection of signalling pathways leading to root symbioses with fungi and bacteria
09:40 Adam Kondorosi (France) L10.3
Medicago genes involved in nodule differentiation
10:15 Katharina Pawlowski (Germany) L10.4
Carbon partitioning in nitrogen-fixation root nodules and during nodule induction
10:40 - 11:15 Coffee
Session 11 Sustainable and low-input agriculture
(continuation of NIFEED workshop)
Janet Sprent (UK) Chair
11:15 Euan James (UK) L11.1
Can associative and endophytic N fixation make a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture?
11:40 Robert Boddey (Brazil) L11.2
Net BNF nitrogen inputs: the key to carbon sequestration in soil under zero tillage
12:05 Mburugu Gitonga(Kenya) L11.3
Effects on intercropping or soil amendment on nodulation, growth and nitrogen fixation in Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.
12:20 Julian Jaftha (South Africa) L11.4
Characterisation of pigmented methylotrophic bacteria which nodulate Lotononis bainesii
12:35 Rachid Serraj (India) L11.5
Biological nitrogen fixation for increased crop productivity, enhanced human health and sustained soil fertility: towards a challenge programme on BNF
12:50 -14:30 Lunch & Poster viewing
AFTERNOON
Session 12 Colonisation of plant host cells
Igor Tikhonovich (Russia) Chair
14:30 Alexey Borisov (Russia) L12.1
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) genes controlling root colonisation, endocytosis of rhizobia and bacteroid differentiation in symbiotic nodules
14:55 Marcelle Holsters (Belgium) L12.2
Intercellular colonisation in the nodulation of Sesbania rostrata
15:20 Karsten Niehaus (Germany) L12.3
Perception of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by plants: induction and suppression of plant defence reactions
15:45 John Sullivan (New Zealand) L12.4
A family of transmissible "adhesin islands" in the genome of Mesorhizobium loti.
16: 10 –16:40 Coffee & Removal of Posters
Session 13 Final plenary lecture and closing ceremony
Anne Hirsch (USA) Chair
16:40-17:20 Frans de Bruijn (France) L13.1
Nitrogen fixation research: the next ten years
17:20-17:35 Closing ceremony
18:30 Coaches Depart from UEA (near LCR)
19:00 Organ recital
20:30 Conference Banquet