Report on the 26th annual meeting of the Japanese Association for Developmental and Comparative Immunology (JADCI), July 9–11, 2014, Katahira Sakura Hall, Tohoku University, Sendai (Local Organizer: Shoichiro Kurata, Tohoku University).

The 26th annual meeting of the Japanese Association for Developmental and Comparative Immunology (JADCI) was held with the 25th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Host Defense Research (JSHDR) on July 9–11, 2014, at Katahira Sakura Hall of Tohoku University, Sendai.
One hundred sixteen scientists and graduate students attended the meeting to discuss the host defense mechanisms of invertebrates and vertebrates. The meeting featured a special lecture, three symposiums, and a memorial session for the late Dr. Emiko Furuta. In addition, there were 41 general oral presentations, followed by active discussion.

Special lecture: Prof. Won-Jae Lee (Seoul National University, South Korea). Gut-microbe symbiosis and dysbiosis: A view from Drosophila.
Gut microbiota are found in virtually all animals, from invertebrates to vertebrates. It is now evident that gut microbiota directly influence a variety of aspects in animal physiology, such as immunity, development, and metabolism. Professor Lee presented recent discoveries regarding the molecular dialogues between bacteria and host animals, based on a genetic Drosophila model organism, and discussed how gut epithelia react to pathogens by using oxidant weapons, how beneficial gut bacteria influence host immunity and development, and how gut immunity distinguishes between beneficial commensal bacteria and life-threatening pathogens.

Symposium 1: “Young Researchers Symposium on Host Defense”
S1-1. The protective effect of CD40 ligand-CD40 signalling is limited during the early phase of Plasmodium infection. (Shin-Ichi Inoue, Infect. Dis., Kyorin Univ. Sch. of Med.)
S1-2. INAM have a critical rule in anti-lung metastatic activity against murine melanomas during polyI:C-based immunotherapy. (Jun Kasamatsu, Grad. Sch. Med., Hokkaido Univ.)
S1-3. Involvement of NKT cells and chemokien production on wound healing. (Hiroto Tano, Grad. Sch. Med, Tohoku Univ.)
S1-4. Gut defense response against Gram-positive bacteria in Drosophila. (Aki Hori, Grad. Sch. Pharm. Sci., Tohoku Univ.)
S1-5. A new signal molecule 8-nitro-cGMP in bacteria. (Tomoaki Ida, Grad. Sch. Med., Tohoku Univ.)

Symposium 2: “Viewpoints Overlooking Host Defense”
S2-1. Design principles of the adaptive immune system. (Masanori Kasahara, Grad. Sch. Med., Hokkaido Univ.)
S2-2. Evolutionary view of the genes in the MHC genomic region. (Masaru Nonaka, Grad. Sch. Sci., Univ. Tokyo)
S2-3. Inflammasome recognition of intracellular pathogens and its modulation by virulence factors. (Kohsuke Tsuchiya, Grad. Sch. Med., Kyoto Univ.)
S2-4. Tcell differentiation and host defense. (Kensuke Shibata, Medical Inst. Bioreg., Kyushu Univ.)
S2-5. Regulatory mechanism of cytoplasmic viral RNA sensor RIG-I by K63-linked polyubiquitination. (Hiroyuki Oshiumi, Grad. Sch. Med., Hokkaido Univ.)

Symposium 3: “Merging Points between Basic Research and Clinical Host Defense”
S3-1. Role of Dectin-2 in host defense to pneumococcal infection and PPV-induced Ab production. (Tomomitsu Miyasaka, Dep.Pathophysiol., Tohoku Pharm.Univ.)
S3-2. Changes of pediatric pneumococcal disease after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. (Naruhiko Ishiwada, Chiba Univ.)
S3-3. NKT cells in Candida albicans infection. (Yuki Kinjo, Dept. Chemo. Myco., Nat. Inst. Infect. Dis.)
S3-4. Fungal infections in patients with primary immunodeficiency. (Tomoyuki Mizukami, Kumamoto Medical Center)


Memorial session for Dr. Emiko Furuta:
As a tribute to the late honorary chairman Dr. Emiko Furuta, three society members (Takeshi Yoshida, Toshinori Sasaki, and Haruhisa Wago) recounted their memories of Dr. Furuta.

General presentations:
Forty-one oral presentations were made over the 3 days.

The winner of the Furuta Young Investigator Award was Mr. Yoshiki Momiuchi at Tohoku University (Cochaperone CG8863/DnaJA3 regulating activation of NF-kB pathway in innate immunity).