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The Irvin Isenberg Memorial Lecture
7/03/06 - 4:00 PM - Lillie Auditorium
“The Unfolded Protein Reponse: How the Endoplasmic Reticulum Talks to the Nucleus”
Peter Walter, University of California, San Francisco
After beginning his studies in chemistry at the Freie Universität in Berlin and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Dr. Peter Walter quickly became seduced by the challenges of understanding the molecular basis of biological systems. How can living cells use the basic principles of chemistry and thermodynamics to build and maintain their complex organization?
He began asking such questions during his Ph.D. thesis work in Günter Blobel’s lab at The Rockefeller University by dissecting the protein targeting machinery that brings select ribosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum. This work culminated in the biochemical identification and characterization of the signal recognition particle. This work continues to this day at an ever more refined level in his own lab at UCSF in San Francisco. Other questions addressed in his lab include attempts to understand the mechanisms by which cells fuse with one another and regulate the abundance of organelles according to need. Towards the latter question, he has studied the ‘unfolded protein response’ (or UPR), an intracellular signaling pathway that adjusts the cellular abundance of the endoplasmic reticulum which serves to fold proteins destined for the cell surface and exterior. Studies on the UPR have revealed a plethora of surprising ways in which a signal pathway can be wired.
Dr. Walter visited Woods Hole only once before, when he was a graduate student. At a party, he met Patricia, who was later to become his spouse. Both look forward to their visit, not only to partake in some fantastic science at the MBL but also to refresh their pleasant memories.
About the Irvin Isenberg Memorial Lecture
The Irvin Isenberg Memorial Lecture was established in memory of Dr. Isenberg, whose distinguished career as a biophysicist began at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
In 1950, Dr. Isenberg completed his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Pennsylvania and later developed an interest in biophysics while serving as a lecturer at the University of Chicago. In 1957, Dr. Isenberg and his family moved to Woods Hole, where he joined Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Györgyi in his Institute for Muscle Research. Together they studied charge transfer reactions and free radicals using one of the early electron spin resonance instruments available in the United States. Dr. Isenberg also conducted research on fluorescence and phosphorescence of DNA before leaving the MBL in 1965 to become Professor of Biophysics and Biochemistry at Oregon State University. There he developed his primary research interest in the structure and function of histones.
The Isenberg family returned to Woods Hole every summer to rejoin beloved friends and to remain active participants in the scientific life of the community. Dr. Isenberg devoted his life to science and is remembered for instilling a strong sense of intellectual curiosity and integrity in the pursuit of scientific truth among his students. Today, we celebrate Dr. Isenberg’s legacy by dedicating this lecture in his honor.
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