John Thompson

Biochemistry and molecular biology of programmed cell death: the molecular basis of membrane deterioration in senescing and aging tissues; comparative aspects of senescence and stress including the role of hormones and the involvement of free radicals; functional genomics of senescence and apoptosis.

• PhD University of Alberta
• BSA University of Toronto

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC)

• F. Ma, Z. Liu, T-W. Wang, M.T. Hopkins, C.A. Peterson and J.E. Thompson. (2010). Arabidopsis eIF5A3 influences growth and the response to osmotic and nutrient stress. Plant, Cell & Environ. (In press).
• B. Maier, T Ogihara, A. Trace, S. Tersey, R.D. Robbins, S. Chakrabarti, C. Nunemaker, N. Stull, C. Taylor, J.E. Thompson, R. Dondero, E. Lewis, C. Dinarello, J. Nadler and R. Mirmira. (2010). The hypusine modification of eIF5A is essential for mRNA shuttling and translation during the cytokine response in pancreatic islets. Journal Clinical Investigation. 120, 2156-2170.
• Z. Sun, Z. Cheng, C.A. Taylor, B.J. McConkey and J.E. Thompson. (2010). Apoptosis induction by eIF5A1 involves activation of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. Journal of Cellular Physiology 223, 798-809.
• M.T. Hopkins, Y, Lampi, T-W. Wang, Z. Liu and J.E. Thompson. (2008). eIF5A is involved in pathogen induced cell death and development of disease symptoms in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiology 148, 479-489.
• C. Moore, E.N. Martin, G. Lee, C.A. Taylor, R. Dondero, L.L. Reznikov, C. Dinarello , J.E. Thompson and M.W. Scheld. (2008). Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) siRNA-liposome complexes reduce inflammation and increase survival in murine models of severe sepsis and acute lung injury. Journal of Infectious Diseases 198, 1407-1414.
• S. Jin, C.A. Taylor, Z. Liu, Z. Sun, B. Ye and J.E. Thompson. (2008). Suppression of primary and disseminated murine tumor growth with eIF5A1 gene therapy. Gene Therapy and Molecular Biology 12, 207-218.