About the meeting
The 7th DNA Polymerases meeting will take place in Warsaw, Poland, from 28th to 31st of August 2024. It is the next meeting in a series of conferences that take place every two years in different European countries. The first was held in Ascona (Switzerland) in 2010, followed by Madrid (Spain, 2012), Cambridge (UK, 2014), Biarritz (France, 2016) and Leiden (Netherlands, 2018). The last conference was held in 2022 in Stockholm (Sweden). All previous conferences have attracted eminent experts from different parts of the world and have been a great scientific success.
The aim of the conference is to present and discuss the results of the latest research on all relevant aspects of DNA polymerases, including their structure, biochemistry, genetics, role in mutagenesis and pathogenesis, as well as their applications in molecular biology, biotechnology and medicine.
The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to present the latest research on DNA polymerases and bring together a diverse group of leading scientists from around the world.
The DNA Polymerases meeting is a chance to integrate the scientific community in the field and provide an opportunity to freely exchange ideas, establish collaborations, as well as present and discuss the results with a broad panel of specialists.
The conference is co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science under the ‘Excellent Science’ Programme
(contract no. KONF/SP/0186/2023/01)
Organizers
Iwona Fijalkowska
Justyna McIntyre
Michal Dmowski
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
Scientific Board
Katarzyna Bebenek
NIEHS
National Institutes of Health
USA
Roger Woodgate
NICHD
National Institutes of Health
USA
Registration and abstract submission
Registration will open December 1st 2023
Registration fee
Early bird registration (deadline March 31st 2024) € 780
Regular registration (deadline August 10th 2024) € 820
Fee covers lunches, dinners and gala dinner, but not the hotel.
Accompanying persons
Accompanying persons will not be able to take part in the conference.
Participation in gala dinner 30.08.24 – € 100
Participation in other evening meals 28.08, 29.08, 31.08 – € 225
Participation in lunches 29-31.08 – € 175
Please register early, as the registration will be closed when it becomes oversubscribed before the deadline.
In case of any problems with registration or payment, please contact adam.krawczyk@whynottravel.pl
Abstract Submission
Abstract submission deadline:
May 20th 2024 (if you want to be considered for an oral presentation)
June 30th 2024 (only poster presentations)
Only registered participants are eligible to submit an abstract which must be completed online.
Abstracts should not exceed 350 words.
When submitting you can choose whether to apply for a poster, oral presentation, or both. An evaluation process will take place and abstracts selected for oral presentation will be announced after the registration deadline. Early-stage researchers are also encouraged to sign up for an oral presentation.
Invited speakers
Rodrigo Bermejo
Margarita Salas Centre for Biological Research,
Spain
Luis Blanco
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa,
Spain
Peter Burgers
Washington University School of Medicine, USA
William Copeland
NIEHS
National Institutes of Health
USA
Marc Delarue
Institut Pasteur, France
Sylvie Doublie
University of Vermont, USA
Vanesa Gottifredi
Fundación Instituto Leloir, Argentina
Erik Johansson
Umeå University, Sweden
Patricia Kannouche
CNRS-Gustave Roussy, France
Thomas Kunkel
NIEHS
National Institutes of Health
USA
Marcin Nowotny
International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Poland
Dale A. Ramsden
University of North Carolina, USA
Polina Shcherbakova
University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA
Joann Sweasy
Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and Eppley Institute, USA
Rick Wood
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
Wei Yang
NIDDK
National Institutes of Health
USA
Joseph Yeeles
Medical Research Council, UK
The meeting will include plenary, invited and selected talks, as well as poster presentations.
Program
For travel planning purposes,
the meeting will start at 13:00 on August 28th and conclude at 22:00 after the dinner on August 31st.
Program of the 7th DNA Polymerases Meeting
|
August 28th - Day 1 |
|
Registration (13:00 – 14:45) Opening speech Replicative DNA polymerases and the replisome
Coffee break
Welcome reception |
|
August 29th - Day 2 |
|
Replicative DNA polymerases and the replisome
Function and regulation of DNA polymerases
Coffee break
Lunch DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance
Poster session Dinner |
|
August 30th - Day 3 |
|
DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance
Coffee break DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance
Lunch Free time and sightseeing Gala dinner |
|
August 31st - Day 4 |
|
DNA polymerases and diseases
Coffee break DNA polymerases from viruses
Lunch DNA polymerases and biotechnology
Coffee break Sponsors' talks Concluding remarks Dinner |
August 28th - Day 1
| 13:00-14:45 | Registration |
| 14:45-15:00 | Opening speech |
| Replicative DNA polymerases and the replisome - 1 Chair: Peter Burgers |
|
| 15:00-15:25 | Thomas Kunkel The importance of finishing what you start: The fidelity of Okazaki fragment maturation |
| 15:25-15:50 | Erik Johansson In crystallo study of the reaction mechanism in a family B DNA polymerase |
| 15:50-16:05 | Johann Jonas Roske Molecular snapshots of daughter strand synthesis and proofreading by the human leading-strand polymerase Pol ε |
| 16:05-16:20 | Alain Nicolas DNA polymerase δ: A single Pol31 polymorphism suppresses the strain background-specific lethality of Pol32 inactivation in S. cerevisiae |
| 16:20-16:35 | Janice Pata Structure and kinetics mechanism of S. aureus DnaE: implications for the initiation of Okazaki fragments in Gram-positive bacteria |
| 16:45-17:15 | Coffee break |
| Replicative DNA polymerases and the replisome - 2 Chair: Polina Shcherbakova |
|
| 17:15-17:40 | Rodrigo Bermejo Strand asymmetry of DNA damage tolerance mechanisms in response to replicative polymerase blocks |
| 17:40-17:55 | Markel Martínez-Carranza Replication Protein A interactions with DNA polymerases within the archaeal replisome |
| 17:55-18:10 | Tahir Tahirov Human primosome requires replication protein A when copying DNA with inverted repeats |
| 18:20-21.00 | Welcome reception |
August 29th - Day 2
| Replicative DNA polymerases and the replisome - 3 Chair: Erik Johansson |
|
| 09:00-09:25 | Peter Burgers The Rev1-DNA polymerase ζ mutasome |
| 09:25-09:50 | Joseph Yeeles Replication fork stalling and collapse at Topoisomerase 1 cleavage complexes - EMBO Young Investigator Lecture |
| 09:50-10:05 | Michal Dmowski The CMGE helicase-polymerase complex is involved in coordinating DNA replication with the cell cycle and shaping genome stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae |
| 10:05-10:20 | Emily Beckwitt Recruitment and assembly of replication stress checkpoint signaling factors |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee break |
| Function and regulation of DNA polymerases - 1 Chair: Luis Blanco |
|
| 11:00-11:25 | Patricia Kannouche New insights into the functions of DNA polymerase zeta in mammalian cells |
| 11:25-11:40 | Justyna McIntyre Regulation of the cellular level of polymerase ɩ |
| 11:40-11:55 | Leonardo Betancurt-Anzola Proofreading mechanism for family D DNA polymerases |
| 11:55-12:10 | Whitney Yin An interaction network in the polymerase active site is a prerequisite for Watson-Crick base pairing in Pol gamma |
| 12:15-13:15 | Lunch |
| Function and regulation of DNA polymerases - 2 Chair: Joann Sweasy |
|
| 13:15-13:40 | Vanesa Gottifredi Through PCNA binding, the cyclin kinase inhibitor, p21, regulates the choice of the DNA polymerase in charge of nascent DNA replication thereby protecting the chromosomic stability of cells |
| 13:40-13:55 | Kristin Eckert Replicative DNA polymerase epsilon and delta holoenzymes show wide ranging inhibition at G-quadruplexes the human genome |
| 13:55-14:10 | Lisanne Spenkelink Single-molecule visualisation of polymerase dynamics at G-quadruplexes |
| 14:10-14:25 | Deepak Thankappan Nair New answers to old questions regarding DNA synthesis by DNA polymerases |
| 14:35-15.05 | Coffee break |
| DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance - 1 Chair: Dale Ramsden |
|
| 15:05-15:30 | Joann Sweasy Functional Roles of DNA Polymerase Beta Human Variants |
| 15:30-15:45 | Julien Duxin Catalytic and non-catalytic functions of DNA polymerase kappa in translesion DNA synthesis |
| 15:45-16:00 | Simone Sabbioneda The catalytic activity of DNA polymerase η prevents G-quadruplexes accumulation in vivo and triggers the DNA damage response upon their stabilization. |
| 16:00-16:15 | Stephen Kowalczykowski Direct coupling of DNA recombination machinery to the E. coli replisome facilitates repair of ssDNA gaps |
| 16:15-16:35 | Group photo |
| 16:35-19:00 | Coffee break and Poster session |
| 19:00-20.30 | Dinner |
August 30th - Day 3
| DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance - 2 Chair: William Copeland |
|
| 09:00-09:25 | Dale A Ramsden DNA polymerases in end joining double strand break repair |
| 09:25-09:50 | Wei Yang Stitching up Double-strand breaks |
| 09:50-10:05 | David Szüts Translesion polymerase choice determines the mutagenic outcome at replication-stalling lesions |
| 10:05-10:20 | Dmitry Korzhnev Adaptable interactions of translesion synthesis scaffold proteins |
| 10:20-10:35 | Česlovas Venclovas Common themes in architecture and interactions of prokaryotic PolB2 and Pol V mutasomes |
| 10:40-11:10 | Coffee break |
| DNA polymerases in DNA damage repair and tolerance - 3 Chair: Marc Delarue |
|
| 11:10-11:35 | Sylvie Doublie Functional consequences of domain self-assembly in DNA polymerase θ: A tale of protein oligomerization and the limitations of AI |
| 11:35-12:00 | Rick Wood Extension, insertion, and deletion by Pol θ during DNA repair |
| 12:00-12:15 | Kei-ichi Takata The tolerance of DNA damage by human mus308 homologs, POLQ and HELQ |
| 12:15-12:30 | Irina Bezsonova A novel connection between Y-family DNA polymerases and the nucleotide excision repair proteins |
| 12:30-12:45 | Jordane Goulas Unraveling the role of the accessory subunit REV7 in the regulation of DNA polymerase zeta bypass activity in mammalian cells |
| 12:55-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:00 | Additional time for discussion by posters |
| 15:00-18:00 | Free time and sightseeing |
| 19:00-23:00 | Gala dinner |
August 31th - Day 4
| DNA polymerases from viruses Chair: Wei Yang |
|
| 09:30-09:55 | Marc Delarue Structural studies of large DNA polymerases from phages by cryo-EM |
| 09:55-10:20 | Marcin Nowotny Reverse transcriptases in retroviral replication and antiphage defense |
| 10:20-10:35 | Michal Roman Szymanski Coordination of Enzymatic Activities by the SSB-like Domain in Phage DNA Polymerase |
| 10:45-11:15 | Coffee break |
| DNA polymerases and diseases Chair: Patricia Kannouche |
|
| 11:15-11:40 | William Copeland Structural insights into mitochondrial DNA replication and disease relevance |
| 11:40-11:55 | Maria Falkenberg Molecular consequences of POLG mutations and new avenues of treatment |
| 11:55-12:20 | Polina Shcherbakova DNA polymerase ε variants in cancers: a novel genomic signature and discovery of new driver alleles |
| 12:20-12:35 | Helmut Pospiech Targeting metabolic pathways important for human cancer cells with an ultramutator phenotype |
| 12:35-12:50 | Penny Beuning Classification and characterization of human DNA polymerase kappa cancer-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms |
| 13:05-13:20 | Meindert Lamers Deciphering DnaE2, the polymerase that drives antibiotic resistance in M. tuberculosis |
| 13:30-14:40 | Lunch |
| DNA polymerases and biotechnology Chair: Richard Wood |
|
| 14:40-15:05 | Luis Blanco DNA primer synthesis by PrimPol, and its use in novel DNA amplification methods |
| 15:05-15:20 | Emma Verver Polymerases and replication processes in action: observing individual molecules in real time |
| 15:20-15:35 | Kyle Vrtis Advancing rolling circle and whole genome amplification applications with a newly engineered phi29 DNA polymerase |
| 15:35-15:50 | Kelly Zatopek Everybody makes mistakes: Utilizing high-throughput sequencing to determine replicative DNA polymerase fidelity |
| 15:50-16:20 | Poster awards and next meeting planning |
| 16:20-16:35 | Concluding remarks |
| 16:35-18:00 | Dinner |
Instructions for preparing a poster
Platinum sponsors
Venue
The conference will take place in the Hotel Verte Warsaw (https://hotelverte.com/en/) located near the Royal Castle in the historical heart of the city – Warsaw’s Old Town. The hotel is handicap accessible.
Conference participants will get special prices for hotel rooms with significant discount.
Accomodation
The conference will take place in the Hotel Verte Warsaw (https://hotelverte.com/en/) located near the Royal Castle in the historical heart of the city – Warsaw’s Old Town. The hotel is handicap accessible.
Conference participants will get significant discount to book rooms at Hotel Verte using the link:
Some other hotels in the vicinity of the conference venue:
• Hotel Bellotto (*****), Senatorska 13/15
https://www.hotelbellotto.pl
• Hotel Bristol Warsaw (*****), Krakowskie Przedmieście 42/44
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/wawlc-hotel-bristol-a-luxury-collection-hotel-warsaw/overview/
• Hotel Warszawa (*****), pl. Powstańców Warszawy 9
https://www.warszawa.hotel.com.pl
• Hotel Le Regina Warsaw (*****), Kościelna 12
https://www.mamaisonleregina.com/pl/
• Sofitel Warszawa Victoria (*****), Królewska 11
https://www.sofitel-victoria-warsaw.com
• Hotel Indigo Warsaw (****), Smolna 40
https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/gb/en/warsaw/wawid/hoteldetail
• Ibis Hotel Stare Miasto (***), Muranowska 2
https://ibis-warszawa-stare-miasto.hotel-warsaw.net/en/#main
• Hotel Gromada Warszawa Centrum (***), Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 2
https://www.gromada.pl/en/about-the-hotel-page-155684
• Castle Inn (***), Świętojańska 2
https://castleinn.pl/
How to get to Warsaw?
By airplane:
Chopin Airport: Most flights to Warsaw land at Chopin Airport about 10 km from the city centre. You can reach the city centre by public transportation: buses 175 and 188, night bus N32, and suburban train lines. Bus 175 operates every 15 min. and will take you close to the conference venue (bus stop: Plac Piłsudskiego 02). The bus stop is located about 750 meters from the Hotel. Tickets can be bought from ticket vending machine located at many bus stops and on board of every vehicles. Cost of one ticket: 4.40 PLN.
Warsaw Modlin Airport: Warsaw Modlin Airport is located around 35 km north-west from the city centre. The city can be accessed from the airport by train, bus, or taxi. Every hour there is a train from Modlin heading to the Warszawa Centralna. You can find more information on the airport webpage.
By train:
- Warsaw has three large railway stations with international and domestic long-distance connections:
• Warszawa Centralna, Aleje Jerozolimskie 54; located in the heart of the city, it is reachable from all districts of Warsaw.
• Warszawa Zachodnia, Aleje Jerozolimskie 144; the station is in the west part of Warsaw.
• Warszawa Wschodnia, ul. Lubelska 1; the station is in the east part of Warsaw, on the Praga side of the Vistula River.
Warszawa Centralna is located closest to the meeting venue. You can reach the Hotel Verte by public buses 128, 160 and 175. Buses 128 and 175 (bus stop: Plac Piłsudskiego 04) and bus 160 (bus stop: Stare Miasto 01). The bus stop Plac Piłsudskiego is located about 750 meters from the Hotel and the bus stop Stare Miasto about 350 meters. Tickets can be bought from ticket vending machine located at many bus stops and on board of every vehicles.
How to get to the meeting venue?
The meeting will take place in the Hotel Verte, Miodowa 6/8 entry from Podwale 3/5, 00-252 Warsaw. You can find bus (lines: 111, 116, 128, 160, 175, 178, 180, 190, 503, 518, 970, N11, N16, N21, N44, N61, N71) and tram (lines: 4, 20, 23, 26, 73, 74) stops within a short distance from the Hotel.
Hotel Verte, Warsaw, Autograph Collection is the perfect place from which to start your adventure in Warsaw. The hotel is located only 2 km from Warszawa Centralna and 10 km from the Chopin Airport. The nearest bus stop “Kapitulna” is located right next to the hotel exit from ul. Miodowa. The nearest metro station – Ratusz Arsenał – is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel.
Parking in the Hotel Verte is restricted to cars with special permissions. Parking spots in the streets around the meeting venue are paid. Therefore, we strongly recommend using public transport or a taxi.
How to get to the Villa Foksal from Hotel Verte?
Villa Foksal is located just 2.5 km from the Hotel Verte. It is a great opportunity to take a walk and admire the beautiful streets of Warsaw. You can also easily get there by bus in less than 20 minutes. At the bus stop Kapitulna 01 there are buses 116, 180, 503 which will take you directly to the Villa Foksal (bus stop: Foksal 01). The bus stop is located about 300 meters from the Villa Foksal.
Tickets
- • 20 minute ticket – 3.40 PLN, discount – 1.70 PLN
- • Single-fare 75 minute ticket – 4.40 PLN, discount – 2.20 PLN
- • Single-fare 90 minute ticket – 7.00 PLN, discount – 3.50 PLN
- • One-day ticket (valid 24h) – 15.00 PLN, discount – 7.50 PLN
- • Three-day ticket (valid 72h) – 36.00 PLN, discount – 18.00 PLN
- • Weekend ticket – 24.00 PLN, discount – 12.00 PLN
- • Luggage and animals can be taken on public transport free of charge
- • People over 70 (based on a photo-document with the date of birth) are entitled to free travel
- • Students of foreign schools holding an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) until they turn 26 are entitled to half-fare travel if they have a photo-document confirming their date of birth
For more information on public transport in Warsaw, please visit https://www.wtp.waw.pl/en/
Tickets must be validated immediately after boarding a bus or tram, or at the gates leading to metro platforms.
Validated tickets entitle the holder to an unlimited number of journeys within the time indicated on the ticket from the moment of validation or until arrival by public transport to the last stop or station on the route.
All public transportation tickets can be purchased at ZTM points, in some newspaper kiosks and at ticket machines located in the metro stations, where tickets can be purchased with either cash or debit cards. There are also ticket machines on buses, but you can only pay by card there. Tickets can also be purchased using a mobile phone app.
Information about travelling by public transport is also available at:
www.jakdojade.pl/warszawa app
Taxi numbers
| Ele Taxi | +48 22 811 11 11 |
| iTaxi | +48 737 737 737 |
| Sawa Taxi | +48 22 644 44 44 |
| Eko Taxi | +48 22 644 22 22 |
| Halo Taxi | +48 660 601 601 |
| Grosik Taxi | +48 22 646 46 46 |
- In general, card payments are accepted, but to be sure, ask if a given taxi accepts card.
Visiting Warsaw
Warsaw was voted European Best Destination 2023
https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/european-best-destinations-2023/#
Here you can get some further info on Warsaw
https://youtu.be/SNte2O6OFao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVPXO6Dx0xU
You can find more at the official Warsaw Tourist Information webpage
https://warsawtour.pl/en/main-page/
Sightseeing options
Participation is optional.
All trips are walking tours.
Also available for accompanying persons.
Date: 30 August 2024 (Friday), 15:00 – 18:00
Meeting spot: Foyer of the Verte Hotel
1. OPTION: Old Town and the Royal Route
Walk through the Old Town from Barbican, part of the city walls, to the Royal Castle Square through the Old Town Market Square with the monument to the Warsaw Mermaid, St. John Cathedral and the Royal Castle (no entrance) on the way. Then continue the walk through the Royal Route. Along the way there are many historic buildings, churches and monuments for example: monument to the poet Adam Mickiewicz, the Presidential Palace, the oldest Warsaw hotels Bristol and Europejski, Piłsudski Square with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Campus of the Warsaw University, the Church of Holy Cross where the heart of Frederic Chopin is buried. End of the tour by the monument of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Price per person – 20 euro
2. OPTION: Old Town and the Royal Castle
Visiting the interiors of the Royal Castle, which in the Middle Ages was the seat of local princes. Since the 16th century it has been the official seat of Polish kings and parliament. Completely destroyed during World War II, it was painstakingly rebuilt. Then the walk through the Old Town to the Barbican, part of the city walls. Along the way St. John Cathedral and the Old Town Market Square with the monument to the Warsaw Mermaid.
Price per person – 35 euro
3. OPTION: Polin – The Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Walk towards Krasiński Square. Short history of fights in Warsaw during World War II by the Warsaw Uprising monument. Continue the walk through Krasiński park towards former Jewish Ghetto. The Holocaust history and the history of the Jewish Uprosing by the main Monument to the Ghetto heroes. Visiting the Polin museum and the 1000-year-old history of Polish Jews.
Price per person – 25 euro
Attention! The distance from the Verte Hotel to the Polin Museum is about 2 km.
4. OPTION: Frederic Chopin’s Warsaw
Warsaw is called the city of the musical genius Fryderyk Chopin because he spent half of his life here. Walk along Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. Along the way there are places related to the composer’s life, such as the current Presidential Palace, where Chopin gave his first public concert at the age of 8, or the former apartments of Chopin and his family, the Church of the Holy Cross, where the urn with the heart of the pianist, who died in Paris, rests. At the end of the tour, visit the Fryderyk Choin Museum, which tells the story of his entire life, also in exile.
Price per person – 25 euro
Attention! The distance from the Verte Hotel to the Fryderyk Chopin Museum is about 2 km.