The broad research interest of Fei Wang lab is in dissecting molecular mechanisms of essential cellular events in eukaryotic cell development. Currently, my laboratory investigates how cells preserve the fidelity of gametogenesis under environmental and physiological stress. Gametogenesis, the process by which diploid precursors undergo meiosis and differentiation to produce haploid gametes, is remarkably sensitive to temperature and other stressors. Even mild perturbations tolerated by mitotically dividing cells can disrupt meiosis, leading to infertility or defective gametes. This heightened sensitivity reflects the competing demands faced by germ cells: they must complete complex developmental transitions while responding flexibly to environmental challenges. The mechanisms that safeguard meiotic integrity under such conditions have long remained poorly understood. In somatic cells, two conserved pathways—stress granules (SGs) and autophagy—serve as major quality-control systems under stress. SGs sequester untranslated mRNAs and RNA-binding proteins to pause translation and preserve key transcripts, while autophagy recycles damaged or unneeded components through autophagosome-mediated degradation, restoring proteostasis and energy balance. How these systems cooperate during meiosis, when transcriptional and translational reprogramming, organelle remodeling, and proteome renewal occur simultaneously, has remained largely unexplored.

Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) as a powerful model, my group integrates genetics, biochemistry, live-cell imaging, proteomics, and computational approaches to uncover how autophagy and RNA regulation ensure gamete quality under stress. Supported by Welch and NIGMS(R01 and R35) fundings and an endowed scholarship to Dr. Fei Wang (Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar in Medical Research, in Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell), our research has defined a unified quality-control network that integrates autophagy, RNA regulation, and stress response to preserve reproductive fidelity.