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Happy Holidays ASBMB Members Lipid Exploration A NEW WEBSITE FOR JBC February 2009 Happy Holidays ASBMB Members Lipid Exploration American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology KS_2009_Season_Ad:Layout 1 1/15/2009 8:09 AM Page 1 Please Join us for a 2009 Keystone Symposia Conference cutting-edge science • cross-disciplinary interaction • networking opportunities • peer-reviewed programs Visit www.keystonesymposia.org/meetings for dates, deadlines, and program information. February 2009 March 2009 Pathogenesis and Immune Regulation in Helminth Prevention of HIV/AIDS, Keystone, CO* Infections, Tahoe City, CA HIV Immunobiology: From Infection to Immune Frontiers in Reproductive Biology and Regulation of Control, Keystone, CO* Fertility, Santa Fe, NM Cell Death Pathways, Whistler, BC* TH17 Cells in Health and Disease, Vancouver, BC Mitochondrial Dynamics and Physiology, Whistler, BC* Immunologic Memory and Host Defense Antibodies as Drugs, Whistler, BC* Keystone, CO Targeted Cancer Therapies, Whistler, BC* Therapeutic Modulation of RNA Using Pattern Recognition Molecules and Immune Sensors of Oligonucleotides, Lake Louise, AB Pathogens, Banff, AB* Frontiers of NMR in Biology, Santa Fe, NM Dendritic Cells, Banff, AB* Neurodegenerative Diseases: New Molecular April 2009 Mechanisms, Keystone, CO* Common Mechanisms in Arrhythmias and Heart Axonal Connections: Molecular Cues for Development Failure, Keystone, CO and Regeneration, Keystone, CO* The Future of Biofuels, Snowbird, UT The Neurobiology of Pain and Analgesia, Santa Fe, NM Stem Cell Niche Interactions, Whistler, BC B Cells in Context, Taos, NM PI 3-Kinase Signaling in Disease, Olympic Valley, CA* Complications of Diabetes and Obesity, Complex Lipids in Biology: Signaling, Vancouver, BC* Compartmentalization, and Disease, Olympic Dissecting the Vasculature: Function, Molecular Valley, CA* Mechanisms, and Malfunction, Vancouver, BC* The Biology of RNA Silencing, Victoria, BC Chromatin Dynamics and Higher Order Organization, Coeur d’Alene, ID May 2009 Human Immunology and Immunodeficiencies, Beijing, March 2009 China Regulatory T Cells, Keystone, CO June 2009 Genome Instability and DNA Repair, Taos, NM Protein Dynamics, Allostery, and Function, The Molecular Basis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Keystone, CO Disorder, Keystone, CO* MicroRNA and Cancer, Keystone, CO Epigenetic Basis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Keystone, CO* Deregulation of Transcription in Cancer, Killarney, Chemical Senses: Receptors and Circuits, Tahoe Ireland City, CA October 2009 Extrinsic Control of Tumor Genesis and Progression, Telomere Biology and DNA Repair, Ashmore, Australia Vancouver, BC Overcoming the Crisis of TB and AIDS, Arusha, Cardiac Disease: Development, Regeneration, and Tanzania, Africa Repair, Asheville, NC Drug Discovery for Protozoan Parasites, * Indicates joint meeting. Registration for one allows attendance at the other, pending space availability. Breckenridge, CO Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Colorado, USA that is directed and supported by the scientific community. www.keystonesymposia.org • 1-800-253-0685 • 1-970-262-1230 contents FEBRUARY 2009 ON THE COVER: Edward Dennis leads an intrepid team of scientists society news on a quest to map out a 5 From the Editor complete profile of lipids. 20 6 President’s Message 9 Washington Update 16 ASBMB Members Elected as AAAS Fellows 17 Retrospective: Mordechai Liscovitch (1951 - 2008) 20 A MAP of the Lipid World special interest 22 The ‘08 Buzz on JBC, JLR, and MCP science focus 32 Joan Steitz: Advancing the Cause of Non-Coding RNA A New Look for JBC Online. 5 departments 2 Letters to the Editor 10 News from the Hill 14 Member Spotlight 23 Education and Training 26 Minority Affairs 28 Career Insights 30 BioBits Polyamines and Hearing. 30 resources 36 Scientific Meeting podcast summary Calendar This month in ASBMB podcasts (www.asbmb. org/Interactive.aspx), look for more interviews with JBC Thematic Minireview contributors. You can view the Thematic Minireview Series at www.jbc.org/thematics. February 2009 ASBMB Today 1 letters to the editor A monthly publication of The American Society for pate in cutting-edge research at a very Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Training Future young age. Officers We are very proud of this program, Gregory A. Petsko President Heidi E. Hamm Past President Scientists and the Frederick County School Mark A. Lemmon Secretary Dear Editor, Merle S. Olson Treasurer system considers it a premier partner- I applaud your effort in promoting Council Members ship. We currently have 52 interns Dafna Bar-Sagi Alan Hall John D. Scott the training of our future scientists, in the program (during the very Joan A. Steitz Ann M. Stock as illustrated in the November 2008 Kevin Struhl James A. Wells Adrian Whitty first year, there were only six), and I issue of ASBMB Today. I wanted to Ex-Officio Members estimate that more than 750 students Ellis Bell bring your attention to a program we have been interns. Chair, Education and Professional Development Committee have here in Frederick, MD, as the Sincerely, Laurie S. Kaguni year 2009 will mark its 20th anniver- Chair, Meetings Committee Howard A. Young John D. Scott sary. The Werner Kirsten Student National Cancer Institute Chair, Membership Committee Intern Program permits high school Frederick, MD Craig Cameron Chair, Minority Affairs Committee juniors in Frederick and Washing- Joan W. Conaway James H. Hurley ton Counties (Maryland) as well as Co-chairs, 2009 Program Committee juniors from one West Virginia high An Alzheimer Ralph A. Bradshaw Chair, Public Affairs Advisory Committee school to compete for internships in Toni M. Antalis Wildcard Chair, Publications Committee National Cancer Institute-Frederick Herbert Tabor laboratories. If matched with a labora- To the Editor, Editor, JBC tory, the students work full-time for Nice summary on the apostrophe Ralph A. Bradshaw controversy in ASBMB Today. As for A. L. Burlingame nine weeks in the summer following Co-editors, MCP searching, I have long used “Alzh*” Edward A. Dennis their junior year and then work a (or the appropriate wild card) to Joseph L. Witztum minimum of three hours a day during Co-editors, JLR search. Of course, that might have their senior year (many spend more ASBMB Today Editorial Advisory Board been as much for the “i” before “e” or Alex Toker than four hours a day in the lab). The Chair “e” before “i” rules that I worry about students contribute to ongoing lab Greg P. Bertenshaw Craig E. Cameron in my spelling. A. Stephen Dahms Irwin Fridovich projects and are responsible for their Jonathan Gitlin Richard W. Hanson Kenneth E. Neet Elizabeth A. Komives Bettie Sue Masters own projects as well. Rosalind Franklin University Luke A. O’Neill Duanqing Pei Participants in the program have Carol C. Shoulders Robert D. Wells of Medicine and Science been winners of the Frederick County ASBMB Today North Chicago, IL Nicole Kresge Editor Science Fair and have successfully [email protected] represented the county in national Nick Zagorski Science Writer and international science fairs. Others [email protected] Looking at Nancy J. Rodnan Director of Publications have made it as semifinalists in the [email protected] national Intel science competition. Men in Science Barbara Gordon Executive Director [email protected] Many students often spend multiple Dear Dr. Kresge, Magazine design & production: Amy Phifer summers in NCI labs and then go While it is important to under- on to attend graduate or medical stand who persists through the For information on advertising contact Capitol Media Solutions at 800-517-0610 school. We believe that this program academic career and the reasons or [email protected] is unique in the country and offers why fewer women occupy the higher students the opportunity to partici- academic offices, I take issue with www.asbmb.org CORRECTION: The article on p. 22 of the January 2008 issue of ASBMB Today titled, “Vision and Change in Biology Undergraduate Education” was written by Ann Stock as well as J. Ellis Bell. 2 ASBMB Today February 2009 letters to the editor the sole focus on women. Response: to see that it gets circulated to the Case in point: Figure 1 of the members of the American Society Thanks for the kind words and article titled, “Keeping Women in for Biochemistry and Molecular Science” in the December 2008 issue for the very important document Biology, of which I am President. of ASBMB Today. This figure nicely which is reprinted here. I not only illustrates the different points in endorse your statement, but I’ll try Gregory A. Petsko the academic career where women, in particular women with families, decide to focus on something dif- ferent than the stressful life as an EASE Statement on Inappropriate independent scientist. However, the Use of Impact Factors study failed to do the proper compar- The journal impact factor was developed as a means to measure the ison. What happens to men in similar impact of scientific journals.1, 2 Over time, its use has been extended family situations? Scientists should be to measuring the quality of scientific journals, the quality of individual able to utilize the scientific method articles, and the productivity of individual researchers.3, 4 Impact factors even when studying scientists, should are nowadays even used in academic appointments, to evaluate grant we not? applications, and to allocate other financial support for research pro- Best regards, Hans Johansson (proud father grams.5, 6 of two who decided that The impact factor, however, is not always a reliable instrument for family comes first but who measuring the quality of journals.7, 8 Its use for purposes for which it was still enjoys being a scientist) not intended causes even greater unfairness.9–12 Biosearch Technologies, Inc. Novato, CA Therefore the European Association of Science Editors recommends that journal impact factors be used only—and cautiously—for measuring and comparing the influence of entire journals, but not for the assess- Having an ment of single papers, and certainly not for the assessment of research- Impact ers or research programs either directly or as a surrogate.
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