Walter Lab

Jordan Tsai

Alumni Graduate Student

jordan@walterlab.ucsf.edu

Scientific Interest

When the unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated, global synthesis of proteins is shut down to stem the flux of new proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, during this shut down, a subset of proteins is instead preferentially translated. I am interested in studying the mechanisms by which preferential translation is achieved, and also other modes of translation regulation involved in ER stress.

Former Lab Affiliations

2010-2013 Dr. Jamie Cate – Undergraduate Researcher, University of California, Berkeley

Education

2008-2012 B.S. Chemical Biology – University of California, Berkeley, USA
2013-Present Ph.D – University of California, San Francisco, USA

Selected Publications

Tsai JC, Miller-Vedam LE, Anand AA, Jaishankar P, Nguyen HC, Renslo AR, Frost A, Walter P. Structure of the nucleotide exchange factor eIF2B reveals mechanism of memory-enhancing molecule. Science 359:6383, 2018
(PMCID : PMC6120582) (PMID : 29599213) (PDF)
Starck SR, Tsai JC, Chen K, Shodiya M, Wang L, Yahiro K, Martins-Green M, Shastri N, Walter P. Translation from the 5’ untranslated region shapes the integrated stress response. Science 351:6272, 2016
(PMCID : 4882168) (PMID : 26823435) (PDF)
Hearn BR, Jaishankar P, Sidrauski C, Tsai JC, Vedantham P, Fontaine SD, Walter P, Renslo AR. Structure-activity studies of bis-O-arylglycolamides: inhibitors of the integrated stress response. Chem Med Chem 11:870-80, 2016
(PMID : 26789650) (PDF)
Sidrauski C, Tsai JC, Kampmann M, Hearn BR, Vedantham P, Jaishankar P, Sokabe M, Mendez A, Newton BW, Tang EL, Verschueren E, Johnson JR, Krogan NJ, Fraser CS, Weissman JS, Renslo AR, Walter P. Pharmacological dimerization and activation of the exchange factor eIF2B antagonizes the integrated stress response. eLife 4:e07314, 2015
(PMCID : PMC4426669) (PMID : 25875391) (PDF)