Stephanie Moon, Ph.D.

We are accepting new students to the research group.

Our group is interested in how genes are expressed via the coordinated regulation of messenger RNAs at the levels of translation, localization, and decay. We study mRNA regulation in the context of human disease and stress, with a particular interest in neurological disorders. Our research aims to reveal the underlying principles and mechanisms governing mRNA in both health and disease to elucidate new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.

Research Areas:

Bio-Micro Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, Functional and Molecular Imaging, Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics

• Dodd BJ, Moon SL. The Role of Protein Kinase R in Dystonia. Dystonia. 2:11718.
• Baymiller M, Moon SL. Stress granules as causes and consequences of translation suppression. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. 2023 Jun 28. PMID 37183403.
• Helton NS, Moon SL. Is bRaQCing bad? New roles for ribosome associated quality control factors in stress granule regulation. Biochemical Society Transactions. 2022 Dec 16;50(6):1715-1724. PMID: 36484689.
• English AM, Moon SL. Measuring bulk translation activity in single mammalian cells during the integrated stress response. Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2428:63-73. 
• English AM, Green KM, Moon SL. A (dis)integrated stress response: genetic diseases of eIF2α regulators. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: RNA. 2021 Aug 31;e1689.
• Moon SL, Morisaki T, Stasevich TJ, Parker R. Coupling of translation quality control and mRNA targeting to stress granules. J Cell Biol. 2020 Aug 3;219(8):e202004120.
• Burke JM, Moon SL, Matheny T, Parker R. RNase L Reprograms Translation by Widespread mRNA Turnover Escaped by Antiviral mRNAs. Mol Cell. 2019 Sep 19;75(6):1203-1217.e5.
• Moon SL, Morisaki T, Khong A, Lyon K, Parker R, Stasevich TJ. Multicolour single-molecule tracking of mRNA interactions with RNP granules. Nat Cell Biol. 2019 Feb;21(2):162-168. 
• Moon SL, Parker R. Analysis of eIF2B bodies and their relationships with stress granules and P-bodies. Sci Rep. 2018 Aug 16;8(1):12264. 
• Moon SL, Sonenberg N, Parker R. Neuronal Regulation of eIF2α Function in Health and Neurological Disorders. Trends Mol Med. 2018 Jun;24(6):575-589.
• Moon SL, Parker R. EIF2B2 mutations in vanishing white matter disease hypersuppress translation and delay recovery during the integrated stress response. RNA. 2018 Jun;24(6):841-852.
• Moon SL, Dodd BJ, Brackney DE, Wilusz CJ, Ebel GD, Wilusz J. Flavivirus sfRNA suppresses antiviral RNA interference in cultured cells and mosquitoes and directly interacts with the RNAi machinery. Virology. 2015 Nov;485:322-9. 
• Moon SL, Blackinton JG, Anderson JR, Dozier MK, Dodd BJ, Keene JD, Wilusz CJ, Bradrick SS, Wilusz J. XRN1 stalling in the 5′ UTR of Hepatitis C virus and Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus is associated with dysregulated host mRNA stability. PLoS Pathog. 2015 Mar;11(3):e1004708. 
• Gullberg RC, Jordan Steel J, Moon SL, Soltani E, Geiss BJ. Oxidative stress influences positive strand RNA virus genome synthesis and capping. Virology. 2015 Jan 15;475:219-29. 
• Chapman EG, Costantino DA, Rabe JL, Moon SL, Wilusz J, Nix JC, Kieft JS. The structural basis of pathogenic subgenomic flavivirus RNA (sfRNA) production. Science. 2014 Apr 18;344(6181):307-10. 
• Chapman EG, Moon SL, Wilusz J, Kieft JS. RNA structures that resist degradation by Xrn1 produce a pathogenic Dengue virus RNA. Elife. 2014 Apr 1;3:e01892. 
• Moon SL, Wilusz J. Viral RNAs versus the Cellular RNA Decay Machinery. Microbe (Washington, D.C.). 2014 March; 9(3):105-110.
• Moon SL, Wilusz J. Cytoplasmic viruses: rage against the (cellular RNA decay) machine. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(12):e1003762.
• Barnhart MD, Moon SL, Emch AW, Wilusz CJ, Wilusz J. Changes in cellular mRNA stability, splicing, and polyadenylation through HuR protein sequestration by a cytoplasmic RNA virus. Cell Rep. 2013 Nov 27;5(4):909-17. 
• Moon SL, Anderson JR, Kumagai Y, Wilusz CJ, Akira S, Khromykh AA, Wilusz J. A noncoding RNA produced by arthropod-borne flaviviruses inhibits the cellular exoribonuclease XRN1 and alters host mRNA stability. RNA. 2012 Nov;18(11):2029-40.
• Moon SL, Barnhart MD, Wilusz J. Inhibition and avoidance of mRNA degradation by RNA viruses. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2012 Aug;15(4):500-5. 
• Moon SL, Wilusz J. In vitro transcription of modified RNAs. Methods Mol Biol. 2012;941:171-80.

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• 2023 Bold Idea grant, University of Michigan Research Scout Program
• 2023 University of Michigan Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging Research Pilot Project Grant
• 2022 NIGMS Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award
• 2022 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Collaborative Pairs grant
• 2022  Robert Packard Center for ALS Research Grant Award
• 2022 Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Award
• 2021 LiveLikeLou Foundation 2021 Career Development Award
• 2020 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award
• 2019 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD Young Investigator
• 2019 University of Michigan Neuroscience Scholars Program
• 2019 University of Michigan Biological Sciences Scholars Program
• 2016-2018 Anna and John J. Sie Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship