UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Microbiology & Immunology
mRNA Quality Control Unit
Allan S Jacobson · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
The Jacobson lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School focuses on understanding how specific types of mRNA are degraded when they contain errors, such as premature termination signals. By studying yeast as a model organism, the lab investigates the underlying mechanisms of a quality control process called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Their work not only deepens our comprehension of mRNA behavior but also aims to improve therapies for genetic diseases related to these mechanisms.
nonsense-mediated decaymRNA degradationyeast geneticstranslational controlmolecular biology
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how mRNA decay is triggered by premature translation termination.
AIM 02Identify the roles of Upf proteins in monitoring ribosomal activity.
AIM 03Elucidate the activation mechanism of mRNA decapping by Upf proteins.
AIM 04Determine the impact of upstream open reading frames on translation termination.
AIM 05Develop a refined model of the NMD process that applies to higher organisms.
Skills the Lab Values
yeast geneticsmolecular cloningcryogenic electron microscopyRNA analysisprotein purification
Output against the department
Publications285top 18% of dept.87th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations20ktop 19% of dept.92nd of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.