New perspectives from South-Y-East, not all about death. A report of the 12th lnternational Meeting on Yeast Apoptosis in Bari, Italy, May 14th-18th, 2017

Over the last 14 years, the field of yeast regulated cell death (RCD) has been expanding to more and more biomedical research themes, including aging, human diseases, cell stress response, metabolism and systems biology. The 12th International Meeting on Yeast Apoptosis (IMYA12), which was held in Bari, Italy from May 14th to 18th, 2017, nicely reflected this trend. This year, more than 100 participants, among which senior and young scientists from Europe, USA, North Africa and Japan, had an intense and open exchange of achievements and ideas. This open and informal communication among researchers has been a constant hallmark of all the IMYA meetings. The global yeast death community was embraced and inspired by the lively and warm atmosphere of Bari, the capital city of Apulia, and its beautiful surroundings, with colorful landscapes, historical and artistic heritage, tastes and scents that reflect the interface between Eastern and Western culture. The meeting started with the keynote lecture of Frank Madeo (Austria), a pioneer of yeast apoptosis studies. He presented data on the anti-aging effects of spermidine in different model organisms, including yeast, nematodes and flies. He demonstrated that this ubiquitous polycation induces autophagy and significantly reduces age-related oxidative protein damage in mice. Spermidine supplementation was also shown to have a strong cardio protective effect on diastolic parameters. These findings support the evidence that autophagy mediates cytoprotection against a variety of noxious agents, thereby conferring longevity when induced at the whole-organism level. Outstanding scholars gave their plenary lectures in several thematic sessions as follows.