Preceptor

• Ben Monpetit

College

• UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Research

• My research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to regulated gene expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs)—cytoprotective protein chaperones which buffer stress-induced proteotoxic damage to maintain cellular function and homeostasis. Key to their protective capacity is the ability of HSP mRNAs to be rapidly transcribed, processed, and exported to the cytoplasm under adverse conditions. For this reason, I aim to understand how intrinsic mRNA elements—specifically mRNA structure—contribute to efficient nuclear export during stress.