Transcription mechanisms across evolution

This FEBS Workshop treats transcription as a key biological mechanism shaped by evolutionary selection. It integrates transcriptional mechanisms from bacteriophages, bacteria, archaea and diverse model and non-model eukaryotic systems to highlight shared principles and unique mechanisms governing transcriptional regulation.

Key themes include the evolution of the transcriptional machinery; regulation of transcription initiation, elongation and termination; transcription in chromatin, chromosomal and nuclear contexts; dynamic control of gene expression; stress responses; genome instability; and transcription in pathogenesis and disease. The workshop incorporates recent advances in imaging, single-molecule and single-cell approaches, structural biology, genomics, and computational and machine-learning methods, which open novel mechanistic questions across model and non-model systems.

A central objective is to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, engage early-career scientists and bring together researchers who rarely interact although they work on closely related processes. The format is highly interactive, emphasising discussion, divergence and technical exchange to reframe transcriptional regulation within an evolutionary context and catalyse new collaborations and a deeper mechanistic understanding of gene regulation.