Cells beat stress — so can you!
Organisms can’t avoid stress, so it is not surprising that numerous cellular mechanisms have evolved to temper any toxic effects of stress. Stress responses are triggered within every cellular compartment to activate downstream signaling pathways. Distinct stress responses can lead to production of protective molecular chaperones, alter post-translational modifications and protein trafficking, activate pathways that degrade macromolecules, and change cellular and organellar function and architecture. Together, these responses maintain organelle and cellular homeostasis and, more specifically, protein homeostasis, also known as proteostasis.
Studies in model systems have uncovered the circuits that control these varied responses, the components that mediate cellular protection, and how disruption or changes in the efficacy of these responses can be linked to specific diseases. Speakers will describe, at the molecular level, how cellular and organelle homeostasis is maintained under normal conditions and when cells and organisms encounter stress.
Keywords: protein quality control, organelles, stress responses, heat shock proteins, endoplasmic reticulum–associated degradation, autophagy, unfolded protein response
Who should attend: everyone interested in the diverse mechanisms by which cells cope with stress related to environmental or disease insults, including how different cellular compartments signal stress or respond to restore cellular homeostasis
Theme song: “Under pressure” by David Bowie and Queen
This session is powered by stressed-out cells and organelles.
Talks
- The degradation of misfolded proteins in the ER — Jeffrey Brodsky, University of Pittsburgh
- Post-translational control of HMG CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol synthesis— Russell DeBose–Boyd, University of Texas Southwest Medical Center
- Signaling principles, signal decoding and integration revealed by stress — Diego Acosta-Alver, University of California, Santa Barbara
- The role of rhomboid pseudoproteases in ERADicating misfolded membrane substrates — Sonya Neal, University of California, San Diego
- Mechanisms of membrane protein sorting — Sichen (Susan) Shao, Harvard Medical School
- Peroxisomal quality control in Arabidopsis — Bonnie Bartel, Rice University
- Mitochondrial-derived compartments protect cells from nutrient stress — Adam Hughes, University of Utah
- Regulation of mitochondrial genome synthesis in animal cells — Samantha Lewis, University of California, Berkeley
- Mechanisms of stress granule regulation by ribosome-associated quality control factors — Stephanie Moon, University of Michigan
- Control of translation by ubiquitin during oxidative stress — Gustavo Silva, Duke University
- Proteins directing lipid fluxes at the ER–lipid droplet continuum — Elina Ikonen, University of Helsinki
- The interconnected dynamics of ribonucleoprotein condensates and the endoplasmic reticulum — Jason Lee, Baylor College of Medicine
Learn more
Check out all ten thematic symposia planned for the 2022 ASBMB annual meeting:
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreFeatured jobs
from the
Get the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles

AI unlocks the hidden grammar of gene regulation
Using fruit flies and artificial intelligence, Julia Zeitlinger’s lab is decoding genome patterns — revealing how transcription factors and nucleosomes control gene expression, pushing biology toward faster, more precise discoveries.

Zebrafish model links low omega-3s to eye abnormalities
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz developed a zebrafish model to show that low maternal docosahexaenoic acid can disrupt embryo eye development and immune gene expression, offering a tool to study nutrition in neurodevelopment.

Top reviewers at ASBMB journals
Editors recognize the heavy-lifters and rising stars during Peer Review Week.

Teaching AI to listen
A computational medicine graduate student reflects on building natural language processing tools that extract meaning from messy clinical notes — transforming how we identify genetic risk while redefining what it means to listen in science.

Early lipid changes drive retinal degeneration in Zellweger spectrum disorder
Lipid profiling in a rare disease mouse model reveals metabolic shifts and inflammation in the retinal pigment epithelium — offering promising biomarker leads to combat blindness.

How sugars shape Marfan syndrome
Research from the University of Georgia shows that Marfan syndrome–associated fibrillin-1 mutations disrupt O glycosylation, revealing unexpected changes that may alter the protein's function in the extracellular matrix.