Discussing epigenetics in Southern California: A report from the International Symposium on Epigenetic Control and Cellular Plasticity, UCI, December 15–16, 2011

With the goal of discussing how epigenetic control and chromatin remodeling contribute to the various processes that lead to cellular plasticity and disease, this symposium marks the collaboration between the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) in France and the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Organized by Paolo Sassone-Corsi (UCI) and held at the Beckman Center of the National Academy of Sciences at the UCI campus December 15–16, 2011, this was the first of a series of international conferences on epigenetics dedicated to the scientific community in Southern California. The meeting also served as the official kick off for the newly formed Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at the School of Medicine, UCI (http://cem.igb.uci.edu)

Encounters with transcription in a six-day journey through the nucleus: CSHL symposium on quantitative biology Nuclear Organization & Function, June 2–7, 2010

An outstanding array of renowned scientists gathered at this year's Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology on “nuclear Organization & Function” to discuss a variety of processes that take place inside the nucleus. Highlighted in this report are the talks related to the regulation of transcriptional processes