Rate My Professor Sarah Walker

Sarah E. Walker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, serving as Director of Admissions for the PhD and MS programs. She earned her PhD from The Ohio State University and conducted postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Jon Lorsch. Walker joined the University at Buffalo as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2015. Her career focuses on molecular mechanisms of gene expression regulation at the translational level.

Walker's research specializes in translational control of gene expression, with emphasis on eukaryotic initiation factors such as eIF4A, eIF4B, and eIF4G. The Walker lab employs reconstituted translation systems, yeast models, and mammalian cells to study how these factors promote mRNA recruitment to the 40S ribosomal subunit, influence complex assembly during initiation, and respond to posttranslational modifications like phosphorylation and arginine methylation. Investigations address functional consequences of dysregulation, including reduced growth under urea stress, invasive growth in cancer models such as triple negative breast cancer, and immune evasion mechanisms. Key publications include Walker et al. (2013), 'Yeast eIF4B binds to the head of the 40S ribosomal subunit and promotes mRNA recruitment through its N-terminal and internal repeat domains' (RNA); Park et al. (2013), 'Yeast Eukaryotic Initiation Factor (eIF) 4B Enhances Complex Assembly between eIF4A and eIF4G in vivo' (Journal of Biological Chemistry); Liu et al. (2021), 'Deletion of the N-Terminal Domain of Yeast Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4B Reprograms Translation and Reduces Growth in Urea' (Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences); Liu et al. (2019), 'Reconstitution and Analyses of RNA Interactions with Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factors and Ribosomal Preinitiation Complexes' (Methods); and Munoz et al. (2017), 'Active Yeast Ribosome Preparation Using Monolithic Anion Exchange Chromatography' (RNA Biology). Her contributions elucidate critical motifs in translation factors and their roles in cellular adaptation and disease.