Description:

Title: Molecular Mechanisms of Translational Regulation". 

Abstrac: Sangwan is a structural biologist broadly interested in the signaling systems that ensure protein homeostasis. Defects in protein homeostasis are linked to disease conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer; however, our understanding of how these pathways organize in cells is limited due to their inherently transient nature. Sangwan will summarize her recent work on two proteins that are involved in protein quality control and are recruited to the translation machinery. One protein called eIF2A facilitates the translation of stress-response genes under conditions of cellular stress. Another protein called IRE1 monitors protein folding status and activates a transcription response upon protein misfolding stress, She utilized single-particle cryoEM, biochemical assays and next-generation sequencing to decipher their mechanism of action. Her work sets the stage for targeted drug design of these two proteins which play critical roles in various forms of cancer, infectious diseases, and protein misfolding disorders.

Smriti Sangwan, PhD; Post-Doctoral Fellow int he lab of Peter Walter, PhD; University of California, San Francisco