Wang, Charles
Charles is in the Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology graduate program. He joined the CMB training program in 2015. His research mentor is Dr. Guillaume Chanfreau. He received a B.S. degree in 2013 from UC San Diego.
Mentor: Dr. Guillaume Chanfreau
Genetic disorders remain a serious concern in our society. These disorders are caused by abnormalities in the genome that result in the disruption of cellular homeostasis and the emergence of detrimental clinical phenotypes. Several genetic disorders involve the production of aberrant mRNAs, due to the presence of genomic mutations that alter the coding sequence or the splicing and poly-adenylation processes. These aberrant transcripts are then degraded by various mRNA quality control processes. One such quality control pathway, referred to as No Go Decay (NGD), is responsible for the recycling of stalled ribosomes and the removal of the liable transcript. The release of the ribosome allows for its reuse in subsequent translation cycles and prevents a critical shortage of the translation machinery. A recent study has discovered that stalled ribosomes in neuronal cells lead to neurodegeneration in mice. Despite its important implications in health, little is known about its components and endogenous target transcripts. My research interest entails studying NGD on a molecular level to provide insight on its associated diseases and potential avenues for gene therapy.
