The Chromatin Structure and Function GRC is one of the longest standing conferences on chromatin, dating back to the 1970s. The meeting covers timely and important topics, including: X-ray crystallization and biophysical studies of individual nucleosomes and higher order structures, the identification and functions of histone post-translational modifications, the regulation and structure of histone modifying enzymes, the components and mechanisms of action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling assemblies, replication-dependent and replication-independent mechanisms of chromatin assembly, nucleosome positioning and phasing, the functions of histone variants, gene silencing in heterochromatin, chromatin remodeling during gene activation and repression in euchromatin, chromatin remodeling during DNA repair and recombination, the importance of heterochromatin organization at centromeres and telomeres to the maintenance of genome integrity. The role of chromatin remodeling factors and histone modifications to large scale organization of chromosomes and the location of loci within the nucleus are also discussed, as is the role of chromatin modifications and DNA methylation in epigenetics, particularly with regards as to how mutations in chromatin remodeling and histone modifying activities affect developmental processes and contribute to human disease.