Mechanistic and Evolutionary Basis of Programmed DNA Elimination Station Biologique de Roscoff, France Monday, September 21, 2026 to Friday, September 25, 2026 https://cjm.sb-roscoff.fr/en/conference/mechanistic-and-evolutionary-basis-programmed-dna-elimination Dear colleagues, We are delighted to announce the conference Mechanistic and Evolutionary Basis of Programmed DNA Elimination, taking place September 21–25, 2026 at the Station Biologique de Roscoff (France). Programmed DNA elimination—developmentally regulated, reproducible loss of specific genomic regions—has evolved multiple times across the tree of life (e.g., ciliates, nematodes, lampreys and other metazoans). This meeting will bring together researchers working on both molecular mechanisms (chromatin, small RNAs, genome rearrangements, chromosome biology, nuclear differentiation) and the evolutionary origins, drivers, and consequences of DNA elimination, including implications for genome architecture, genetic conflict and transposable elements, germline–soma evolution, convergence, adaptation, and speciation. We also welcome researchers working on related topics such as meiotic drive/B chromosomes, as well a those working on organisms with non-Mendelian genetics beyond just DNA elimination. We warmly invite researchers at all career stages to submit an abstract for an oral presentation or poster. Key dates Conference: Monday, September 21, 2026 – Friday, September 25, 2026 Abstract submission deadline: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Confirmed invited speakers Peter ANDERSEN (Aarhus Université, Denmark) — Epigenetic regulation of the fungus gnat germline genome Julien BISCHEROUR (I2BC, Gif-sur-Yvette, France) — A hybrid machinery of repair proteins and domesticated transposases ensures precise programmed DNA elimination in Paramecium tetraurelia Dmitrij DEDUKH (Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Prague, Czech Republic) — Programmed genome elimination during gametogenesis and after fertilization in hybrid asexual vertebrates Marie DELATTRE (Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, France) — Is programmed DNA elimination in mesorhabditis nematodes a transposon-driven process? Sandra DUHARCOURT (Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France) — Mechanisms and regulation of programmed DNA elimination in Paramecium Laurent DURET (LBBE, Lyon, France) — The impacts of programmed DNA elimination on genome evolution in Paramecia Feng GAO (Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China) — Soma-derived 30nt small RNAs precisely target non-transposon DNA against elimination in Euplotes vannus Stacey HANLON (University of Connecticut, USA) — B chromosome dynamics in the Drosophila melanogaster germline Christina HODSON (University College London, UK) — Dynamic evolution of germline restricted chromosomes in sciarid flies Andreas HOUBEN (Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Germany) — Programmed DNA elimination in plants Laura KATZ (Smith College, Northampton, USA) — Programmed DNA elimination and other dynamic genome processes across the eukaryotic tree of life Hanna KOKKO (University of Mainz, Germany) — Modelling faster mitochondrial evolution in haplodiploids Benjamin LOPPIN (Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, France) — Mechanisms of Wolbachia-induced paternal chromosome elimination Kazufumi MOCHIZUKI (Institut de Génétique Humaine, Montpellier, France) — Small RNA-directed programmed DNA elimination in Tetrahymena Radka REIFOVA (Faculty of Science, Prague, Czech Republic) — Programmed DNA elimination in songbirds: mechanisms and evolutionary significance Laura ROSS (University of Edinburgh, UK) — Programmed DNA elimination from soma and germline in insects Denis ROZE (CNRS, Roscoff, France) — Models for the evolution of paternal genome elimination Tanja SCHWANDER (Université de Lausanne, Switzerland) — Selfish reproductive strategies in stick insects Jeramiah SMITH (University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA) — Germline restricted chromosomes in lampreys and hagfish Lewis STEVENS (Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK) — Programmed DNA elimination was present in the last common ancestor of Caenorhabditis nematodes Alexander SUH (Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, Germany) — Evolution and elimination of the germline-restricted chromosome of passerine birds Eelco TROMER (University of Groningen, Netherlands) — Evolutionary cell biology of chromosome segregation systems in eukaryotes Frédéric VEYRUNES (Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, Montpellier, France) — Ménage à trois in the African pygmy mouse. A third sex chromosome and a third sexual phenotype Jianbin WANG (University of Tennessee, USA) — Programmed DNA elimination in nematodes Registration details, fees, and practical information are available on the conference website: https://cjm.sb-roscoff.fr/en/conference/mechanistic-and-evolutionary-basis-programmed-dna-elimination Feel free to forward this to anyone you think could be interested. Best wishes, Sandra Duharcourt Chairperson CNRS Institut Jacques Monod, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75013 Paris, France E-mail: sandra.duharcourt@ijm.fr Laura Ross Vice-chairperson University of Edinburgh, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Charlotte Auerbach Road, EH9 3FL Edinburgh, UK E-mail: laura.ross@ed.ac.uk The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336. 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