May 25 - 27, 2016

Venue:

Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg
Lehmkuhlenbusch 4
27753 Delmenhorst

Organizers:

• Prof. Dr. Hans Gerd Nothwang
  Dr. Ulrike Sienknecht
  Prof. Dr. Christine Köppl
  Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
• Prof. Dr. Geoffrey Allen Manley

May 25 - 27, 2016

Venue:

Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg
Lehmkuhlenbusch 4
27753 Delmenhorst

Organizers:

• Prof. Dr. Hans Gerd Nothwang
  Dr. Ulrike Sienknecht
  Prof. Dr. Christine Köppl
  Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
• Prof. Dr. Geoffrey Allen Manley

The ears of land vertebrates present a fascinating kaleidoscope of structures. They achieved their unique configurations relatively late in evolution, after the main groups had separated. Thus middle and inner ear and the neural processing apparatus in lizards, birds and mammals evolved separately over a period of more than 200 million years.
Some of the most important questions regarding the form and function of modern ears and the brain centres involved in processing sound stimuli is the extent to which they build upon a common, genetic basis they inherited from the ancestral forms and, by contrast, the character and role of independently-evolved features. During the last two decades, research into these questions has revealed some clear trends that provide a solid basis for continued investigations, but also tantalizing clues that invite systematic study.

This short workshop has three aims:

• To bring together prominent scientists to explain and discuss the current status of evolutionary and developmental research into ears and the auditory brain.

• To provide a forum for investigators to discuss the research tools, model organisms and open questions and through this to begin research collaborations.
• To offer a training session for younger investigators that intend to pursue research into one of the fields.

The talks will cover the evolution of ears and brain centres and developmental patterns of the ear and auditory brain in diverse model organisms from fish, birds and mammals. In addition, gene regulatory networks for essential structural patterns such as planar polarity of sensory cells, Hox gene control of brain rhombomeres and the structure and innervation of brain nuclei will be discussed.

The workshop will take place at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony. Included in the workshop will be a half-day exkursion to the nearby city of Bremen including a tour of the World Heritage Town Hall.

The ears of land vertebrates present a fascinating kaleidoscope of structures. They achieved their unique configurations relatively late in evolution, after the main groups had separated. Thus middle and inner ear and the neural processing apparatus in lizards, birds and mammals evolved separately over a period of more than 200 million years.
Some of the most important questions regarding the form and function of modern ears and the brain centres involved in processing sound stimuli is the extent to which they build upon a common, genetic basis they inherited from the ancestral forms and, by contrast, the character and role of independently-evolved features. During the last two decades, research into these questions has revealed some clear trends that provide a solid basis for continued investigations, but also tantalizing clues that invite systematic study.

This short workshop has three aims:

• To bring together prominent scientists to explain and discuss the current status of evolutionary and developmental research into ears and the auditory brain.

• To provide a forum for investigators to discuss the research tools, model organisms and open questions and through this to begin research collaborations.
• To offer a training session for younger investigators that intend to pursue research into one of the fields.

The talks will cover the evolution of ears and brain centres and developmental patterns of the ear and auditory brain in diverse model organisms from fish, birds and mammals. In addition, gene regulatory networks for essential structural patterns such as planar polarity of sensory cells, Hox gene control of brain rhombomeres and the structure and innervation of brain nuclei will be discussed.

The workshop will take place at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony. Included in the workshop will be a half-day exkursion to the nearby city of Bremen including a tour of the World Heritage Town Hall.

Wednesday, May 25

General Overview talks, Tutorials and Workshop for doctoral students and post-docs
09:00 - 09:45  Andrea Streit (Kings College, London, UK)
                          Making ear progenitors: A gene network approach                        
09:45 - 10:30  Gerd Müller (University of Vienna, Austria)
                          EvoDevo and the mechanisms of evolutionary innovation                     
10:30 - 11:00  Coffee break
11:00 - 12:00  Tutorial A. Streit + G. Müller
12:00 - 13:00  Lunch
13:00 - 13:45  Bernd Fritzsch (University of Iowa, USA)
                          Neurosensory evolution of the ear predates and directs other parts of
                          the auditory system: towards identifying molecular transformation of
                          regulatory networks and their selection                        
13:45 - 14:30  Benedikt Grothe (Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich)
                          Evolution of the central auditory system                       
14:30 - 15:00  Coffee break
15:00 - 16:00  Tutorial B. Fritzsch + B. Grothe
16:00 - 18:00  Doctoral student poster session
18:00 - 19:00  Fellow Lecture of the Hanse-Wissenschaftskollegs
                          Geoffrey A. Manley (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Evolution of amniote hearing organs
19:00                Dinner

Thursday, May 26

Main themes: Hair cells, Planar polarity, Inner ear
09:00 - 09:40  Christine Köppl (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Functional selective pressures on hearing in vertebrates
09:40 - 10:20  Fernando Giraldez Orgaz (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)
                          The regulation of Atoh1 and the making of hair cells 
10:20 - 10:50  Coffee break
10:50 - 11:30  Care Baker (University of Cambridge, UK)
                          The development and evolution of lateral line electroreceptors
11:30 - 12:10  Tanya Whitfield (University of Sheffield, UK)  
                          Going round in circles: Development and function of the zebrafish
                          vestibular system                     
12:10 - 13:15  Lunch
13:15 - 13:55  Ulrike Sienknecht (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Hair cell development and planar cell polarity
13:55 - 14:35  Mireille Montcouquiol (Université de Bordeaux Segalen, France)
                          Planar Cell Polarity in mammals: Conserved genes, various mechanisms       
15:00               City tour of Bremen, Dinner in the "Ratskeller"

Friday, May 27

Main theme: Central auditory pathway
09:00 - 09:40  Cristina Pujades (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)
                          Building in the inner ear: Cellular Dynamics of neurosensory progenitors
                          during embryonic development                  
09:40 - 10:20  Dalit Sela-Donenfeld (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)
                          From neural progenitors to axonal networks in the chick hindbrain                 
10:20 - 10:50  Coffee break
10:50 - 11:30  Catherine Carr (University of Maryland, College Park, USA)
                          The evolution of auditory nuclei in lizards, turtles and archosaurs                   
11:30 - 12:10  Filippo Rijli (Friedrich Miesche Institute, Basel)
                          Assembly of the auditory system and Hox genes                      
12:10 - 12:50  Nicoletta Bobola (University of Manchester, UK)
                          Making an Ear: Instructions from Hox genes                         
12:50 - 13:30  Hans Gerd Nothwang (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Evolution and development of sound localization circuits
13:30 - 14:30  Lunch
14:30               Departure

<link fileadmin dateien tagungen linking_evolution_and_development programm_23-05-2016.pdf download>Download program

Wednesday, May 25

General Overview talks, Tutorials and Workshop for doctoral students and post-docs
09:00 - 09:45  Andrea Streit (Kings College, London, UK)
                          Making ear progenitors: A gene network approach                        
09:45 - 10:30  Gerd Müller (University of Vienna, Austria)
                          EvoDevo and the mechanisms of evolutionary innovation                     
10:30 - 11:00  Coffee break
11:00 - 12:00  Tutorial A. Streit + G. Müller
12:00 - 13:00  Lunch
13:00 - 13:45  Bernd Fritzsch (University of Iowa, USA)
                          Neurosensory evolution of the ear predates and directs other parts of
                          the auditory system: towards identifying molecular transformation
                          of regulatory networks and their selection                     
13:45 - 14:30  Benedikt Grothe (Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich)
                          Evolution of the central auditory system                       
14:30 - 15:00  Coffee break
15:00 - 16:00  Tutorial B. Fritzsch + B. Grothe
16:00 - 18:00  Doctoral student poster session
18:00 - 19:00  Fellow Lecture of the Hanse-Wissenschaftskollegs
                          Geoffrey A. Manley (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Evolution of amniote hearing organs
19:00                Dinner

Thursday, May 26

Main themes: Hair cells, Planar polarity, Inner ear
09:00 - 09:40  Christine Köppl (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Functional selective pressures on hearing in vertebrates
09:40 - 10:20  Fernando Giraldez Orgaz (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)
                          The regulation of Atoh1 and the making of hair cells 
10:20 - 10:50  Coffee break
10:50 - 11:30  Clare Baker (University of Cambridge, UK)
                          The development and evolution of lateral line electroreceptors
11:30 - 12:10  Tanya Whitfield (University of Sheffield, UK)  
                          Going round in circles: Development and function of the zebrafish
                          vestibular system                     
12:10 - 13:15  Lunch
13:15 - 13:55  Ulrike Sienknecht (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Hair cell development and planar cell polarity
13:55 - 14:35  Mireille Montcouquiol (Université de Bordeaux Segalen, France)
                         Planar Cell Polarity in mammals: Conserved genes, various mechanisms        
15:00               City tour of Bremen, Dinner in the "Ratskeller"

Friday, May 27

Main theme: Central auditory pathway
09:00 - 09:40  Cristina Pujades (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain)
                          Building in the inner ear: Cellular Dynamics of neurosensory progenitors
                          during embroyonic development                  
09:40 - 10:20  Dalit Sela-Donenfeld (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)
                          From neural progenitors to axonal networks in the chick hindbrain                 
10:20 - 10:50  Coffee break
10:50 - 11:30  Catherine Carr (University of Maryland, College Park, USA)
                          The evolution of auditory nuclei in lizards, turtles and archosaurs                   
11:30 - 12:10  Filippo Rijli (Friedrich Miesche Institute, Basel)
                          Assembly of the auditory system and Hox genes                      
12:10 - 12:50  Nicoletta Bobola (University of Manchester, UK)
                          Making an ear: Instructions from Hox genes                         
12:50 - 13:30  Hans Gerd Nothwang (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg)
                          Evolution and development of sound localization circuits
13:30 - 14:30  Lunch
14:30               Departure

<link fileadmin dateien tagungen linking_evolution_and_development programm_23-05-2016.pdf download>Download program