Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 30 (2000) 615
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Preface
Seventh International Conference on the Juvenile Hormones
The Seventh International Conference on the Juvenile Hormones (JH VII) convened on the Mount Scopus Campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from August 28 to September 3, 1999. Conferences dedicated to progress in the study of the insect juvenile hormones have met at four to five year intervals since the first meeting at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1975, which dealt with the chemistry, synthesis, transport, metab-olism and multi-level modes of action of JH. This agenda has not changed considerably since that meeting, but as can be seen from the contributions to this special issue, there is now more emphasis on JH biosynthesis and its hierarchical control by peptide hormones—allato-statins and allatotropins. JH metabolism and its regu-lation of the JH titer, the role of JH in reproduction, migration, and behavior, and the development of JH ana-logs for pest control are still major issues. New approaches to the investigation of the pleiotropic modes of JH action at the molecular and cellular levels included studies on the interaction of JH with nuclear receptors and of JH action on membranes. Expectations are high that at the next JH conference, to be held in 2003 in Mexico, many of the current issues may be resolved, with new ones arising.
JH VII was planned as a half-jubilee meeting, one year short of the year 2000, in order to precede numerous conferences and congresses scheduled for the start of new millennium. It is encouraging to note that at this temporal juncture, most of the participants at JH VII were young scientists: graduate students, postdoctoral associates, non-tenured staff of universities and govern-mental institutions, with a few from industry. Jerusalem, with its long and rich history and religious significance, was an excellent choice for the timing of this meeting. The Mount Scopus Campus of the Hebrew University provided a convivial and relaxed atmosphere for both the 55 oral and 11 poster presentations that composed the formal part of the conference, as well as for the many informal discussions and interactions that added subst-ance to the experience.
There were four plenary lectures at JH VII, to intro-duce each day’s sessions: J.R. Tata opened the confer-ence with a discussion of the autoinduction of nuclear hormone receptors during metamorphosis. This was
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lowed on subsequent days by the Peter Karlson lecture on the modes of action of juvenile hormone, presented by K.G. Davey; the Bertha Scharrer lecture on the role of neurosecretion in the control of juvenile hormone syn-thesis, presented by B. Stay; and by an overview of the history, current status and future prospects of juvenile hormone research, presented by L.I. Gilbert.
We are grateful to Professor L.I. Gilbert, executive editor of Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and to Ms. Kristien van Lunen, Publishing Editor of Biologi-cal Sciences, Elsevier Science, for offering to devote a special issue of this journal to the publication of papers based on the presentations at the conference. Completing this special issue within the time allotted was demanding of the authors, reviewers, editors and publication staff of Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. We are particularly grateful to our reviewers for accepting mul-tiple manuscripts to review and for their exceptional effort in completing their assignments in record time. We believe that the final product makes a solid contri-bution to the field, and we thank the Jerusalem organiz-ers, the administration of the Hebrew University, the meeting participants and everyone else involved for their enthusiasm, interest, efforts and good-will.
A National Science Foundation grant provided sup-port for the attendance of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Corporate and international sponsors provided funds to support the attendance of some parti-cipants, to publish the program and abstract booklets, and to enhance the ambience of the meeting. We grate-fully acknowledge financial contributions from: the Authority for Research and Development of the Hebrew University, the Ministry of Science of Israel, the Peter Karlson Foundation, the Royal Society of London, American Cyanamid Company, and Elsevier Science, Ltd.
