Stress granules are phase dense particles containing mRNA in stalled initiation complexes which are protected from degradation. Stress granules are formed in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells under environmental stresses such as heat, oxidative stress, hyperosmolarity and UV and form the mechanism by which cells selectively turn off translation of constitutively expressed “housekeeping” transcripts under stress. T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) is an RNA binding protein involved in the formation of stress granules, via its binding to AU rich elements in mRNA and aggregation through its prion-like C-terminal domain. Here we investigate the amyloid-like properties of TIA-1 aggregation as a model of stress granule formation. These studies shed light on the role of TIA-1 in the initiation and dissociation of stress granules.