Centrosome and spindle pole body dynamics. Review and abstracts of the EMBO/EMBL Conference on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies, Heidelberg, September 13-17, 2002.

Five years after the first meeting held on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies, a second meeting was organized by Tano Gonzalez, Eric Karsenti, Kip Sluder, and Mark Winey in Heidelberg, Germany. Sponsored by the gracious European community (EMBO/EMBL), the meeting was both spectacular and exhausting. The wealth of information delivered, the plethora of model systems and unique approaches described, and the free exchange of information by a cooperative and excited community of scientists overwhelmed all participants. Even the best prepared scholars could not have anticipated the avalanche of data and insights that poured from the presentations from beginning to end. Daily posters by young and senior scientists added dimension to round out the well-planned series of presentations. The meeting began with opening remarks by Eric Karsenti and Michel Bornens who reminded participants of the historical questions of the field. Where does the centrosome come from? What are the mechanisms that control centrosome assembly and duplication? How is duplication coordinated with the cell cycle? Why do some cells have centrosomes, while others do not? What are the components of the centrosome? Does the centrosome play an important role in disease?