InternationalConferenceonHolobionts,

Paris(NaturalHistoryNationalMuseum),April19-21,2017

Itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatthedevelopment,nutrition,physiologyandhealthofmostorganismsareinfluencedbythecomplexmicrobialcommunitiestheyhost,herebyshapingtheirecologyandevolution.Biologyisindeedundergoingaparadigmshift,whereindividualphenotypesareseenasaresultofthecombinedexpressionofthehostandassociatedmicrobegenomes,leadingtothepopularizationoftheholobiontconcept(thehostanditsmicrobiota)andthehologenome(thecollectivegenomesofaholobiont).Ecologicalandtechnicaladvances,especiallyinnextgenerationsequencingtechnologies,havegreatlycontributedtothisconceptualshift,therebyrevealingthediversityandrolesofthemicrobeshostedbydiverseorganisms,frompeopleandplants,tospongesandinsects.Thescientificcommunityhasnowrecognizedthatthehostorganismscannotbestudiedwithouttakingresidentmicrobiomesintoaccount,makingholobiontresearchimperativeacrossnumerousfieldsofthelifeandmedicalsciences.

TheobjectiveoftheInternationalConferenceonHolobionts,Paris2017isto,forthefirsttime,bringscientiststogetherwhoareinterestedinholobiontsystemsandtheirstudy.Thisconferencewillhighlightmajoradvancesindefiningthekeyrolesofhost-bornemicrobiotaintheecologyandevolutionofhigherorganismsandthepotentialimplicationsforhumanhealth,foodproductionandecosystemfunctioning.Inaddition,theconferencewillofferaplatformfordebaterelatedtothedefinition,assemblyandevolutionofholobionts.Bybringingarangeofholobiontresearcherstogether,theInternationalConferenceonHolobiontsseekstohelpconsolidatethefield,facilitateexchangeofknowledgeacrosssystemsandapproachesandstimulatefurtherdevelopmentsinthisemergingdiscipline.ScientificprogramThisconferencewilladdressthefollowingtopics:

1. Holobiontsandevolution2. Emergingapproachestoholobiontresearch3. Microbiotaandhosthealth4. Mechanismsforholobiontassembly5. Metabolicinteractionsbetweenhostandmicrobiota

Foreach topic,weencourageoralandpostercommunicationsonholobiont systems fromdifferentperspectivesincludingtheoretical,empirical,fundamentalandappliedresearches.Provisionallistofinvitedspeakers:JoëlDoré(INRAJouy,France)UteHentschel(HelmholtzCentreforOceanResearch,Kiel,Germany)

ThierryHeulin(CEACadarache,France),confirmedNancyMoran(UniversityofTexas,Austin,Texas,USA),confirmedJeroenRaes(VrijeUniversiteit,Brussel,Belgium),confirmedEugeneRosenberg(TelAvivUniversity,Israel),confirmedPaulSchulze-Lefert(MaxPlanckInstituteKoln,Germany),confirmedKevinTheis(WayneStateUniversity,Detroit,Michigan)PracticalaspectsThisconferencewilllast2.5days,fromApril19th2p.m.tofromApril21st4p.m.ItwilltakeplacerightinthecenterofParis,intheheartof“QuartierLatin”intheprestigiousGrandAmphithéâtreoftheNaturalHistoryNationalMuseum(https://www.mnhn.fr/fr).Notethatforspaceconstraints,wewon’tbeabletotakemorethan300registrations.RegistrationswillopenbyNovember15,2016andbeclosedbyJanuary30,2017.Adedicatedwebsiteforregistrationandpracticalinformationisunderconstructionathttps://symposium.inra.fr/holobiont-paris2017.Organizinginstitutions:CNRS(CentreNationaldelaRechercheScientifique),INRA(InstitutNationaldelaRechercheAgronomique),MNHN(MuseumNationald’HistoireNaturelle).ThisconferenceisajointinitiativeoftheGroupedeRechercheenGénomiqueEnvironnementale(GDRGE)andtheINRAMétaprogrammeMéta-omiquesetécosystèmesmicrobiens(MEM).MembersoftheScientificCommittee:Bourguet-KondrackiMarie-Lise(CNRS,MNHNParis),BourtzisKostas(FAO/IAEA,Vienna,Austria),BuéeMarc(INRANancy,France),FaureDenis(CNRSOrsay,France),HeulinThierry(CNRSMarseille,France),JolyDominique(CNRSParis,France),KowalchukGeorge(UtrechtUniversity,TheNetherlands),MarchesiJulian(ImperialCollege,UK),MédigueClaudine(CNRSGenoscopeEvry,France),MougelChristophe(INRARennes,France),SelosseMarc-André(MNHNParis),SimonJean-Christophe(INRARennes,France),VandenkoornhuysePhilippe,(UniversityRennes1,France)