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Vol. 19 / No. 8 / September 2020 A zest FOR synthetic biology The 2021 ASBMB Annual Meeting will be virtual! Learn more at asbmb.org/annual-meeting The ASBMB annual meeting is held in conjunction with Experimental Biology. CONTENTS NEWS FEATURES PERSPECTIVES 2 24 40 EDITOR’S NOTE A ZEST FOR SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY THE COVID-19 DELUGE A time for reimagining Why are metabolic engineers so interested Is it time for a new model of data disclosure? in limonene? 3 43 NEWS 32 THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW Society to name fellows RUNNING A JOURNAL IN A PANDEMIC ASBMB Today wins awards Nicholas O. Davidson and Kerry-Anne Rye talk about editing the Journal of Lipid 44 4 Research across a staggering distance THE MIND OF A PUBLIC SPEAKER MEMBER UPDATE 36 MEET LUKE O’NEILL 48 7 The immunologist shares his thoughts SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE IN MEMORIAM on inflammation research and the novel RESEARCH WEATHERS THE 8 Herbert Tabor (1918-2020) coronavirus PANDEMIC 10 COVER PHOTO: OKEYKAT/ UNSPLASH 52 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT ON MANAGING AND MENTORING A career in metabolism research and a drive to mentor minority students 5 questions for Jenna Hendershot 13 STUDENT CHAPTERS Science and medicine: Connecting the known and the unknown 24 15 JOURNAL NEWS 15 A disorder of disrupted proteins 16 Spit-stimulating natural compounds could end dry mouth 17 Health journey helps researcher teach old mice new tricks 44 18 From the journals 32 10 36 48 SEPTEMBER 2020 ASBMB TODAY 1 EDITOR’S NOTE THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY THE MEMBEROFFICERS MAGAZINE OFCOUNCIL THE AMERICAN MEMBERS SOCIETY A time for reimagining FOR BIOCHEMISTRY ANDSuzanne MOLECULAR Barbour BIOLOGY Toni M. Antalis President Joan Broderick Charles Craik By Comfort Dorn GeraldOFFICERS Hart COUNCIL MEMBERS Matt Gentry PastGerald President Hart Squire J. Booker Susanna Greer President Victoria J. DeRose t the height of the strange sum- more sensible and just? We want Wei Yang AudreyBlake Lamb Hill Secretary mer of 2020, I read an article, your ideas for how to do that. We Jennifer DuBois JamesAudrey M. Ntambi Lamb Secretary “How pandemics wreak havoc will dedicate our June/July 2021 issue Joan Conaway TakitaJames Felder M. Ntambi Sumter A Celia A. Shiffer Toni TreasurerM. Antalis Kelly Ten–Hagen and open minds,” about the ways in to the theme of reimagining, and we Treasurer Takita Felder Sumter which the bubonic plague of the 14th want your contributions. Read the two EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Kelly Ten-Hagen JoAnn Trejo century marked the end of the Middle essays mentioned above. Think about EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Robert S. Haltiwanger ASBMB TODAY EDITORIAL Ages and beginning of the Renais- the systems around you. Can they be Carla Koehler ADVISORY BOARD Robert S. Haltiwanger ASBMB TODAY EDITORIAL sance. improved? Should they be replaced? Co-chairs, 2020 AnnualCarla Meeting Koehler RajiniADVISORY Rao BOARD Co-chairs,Program Committee2020 Annual Chair Rajini Rao The COVID-19 pandemic is What would make them better? Meeting Program Committee Cheryl Bailey AnaChair Maria Barral unlikely to reach Black Death di- I asked our ASBMB Today edito- Chair, Education and Professional Cheryl Bailey NatashaFloyd Brooks“Ski” Chilton mensions, but as we all avoid social rial advisory board for some food for DevelopmentChair, Education Committee and Kelly Chacón Henrik Dohlman interactions, we have plenty of time thought — a few prompts to get you ProfessionalDaniel Development Raben BerondaPeter J.Montgomery Kennelly Committee Chair, Meetings Committee BillBeronda Sullivan Montgomery to sit on our couches and reconsider thinking and writing: Bill Sullivan SoniaDaniel Flores Raben MelissaA. Maureen Vaught Rouhi the way we operated in our personal wonders if science communication Chair,Chair, Meetings Minority Committee Affairs Melissa Vaught Binks Wattenberg and professional lives until last March. should have a more central role in Committee Binks W. Wattenberg Sonia Flores For many of us, the notion of work- academia and if the tenure process Chair,Nicole Minority Woitowich Affairs ASBMB TODAY Chair, Science OutreachCommittee and ASBMB TODAY ing from home was pretty far-fetched; needs to be revamped. Melissa Vaught Communication Committee AngelaAngela Hopp Hopp Susannna Greer Executive Editor now, it’s hard to imagine a return to suggests a shift toward institutional Terri Goss Kinzy Executive Editor Chair, Public Outreach [email protected] daily commuting. Did it occur to us systems that accommodate and sup- Chair, PublicCommittee Affairs [email protected] Advisory Committee ComfortComfort Dorn Dorn that the essential employees would be port people during challenges and Matthew S. Gentry ManagingManaging Editor Editor Chair,Ed EisensteinPublic Affairs delivery drivers and grocery clerks? disruptions both large and small. She [email protected]@asbmb.org Chair, MembershipAdvisory Committee Committee That we’d be valued for mask making also wonders about the central role of JohnJohn Arnst Arnst SusanSandra Baserga Weller ScienceScience Writer Writer and sourdough? conferences in professional network- Chair, WomenChair, in Biochemistry Publications [email protected] and Molecular Biology [email protected] In addition, coronavirus research ing. Binks Wattenberg wants to rethink Committee Laurel Oldach Committee Laurel Oldach Lila M. Gierasch Science Writter has taken off at a gallop, with an ac- the relationships that institutions have Sandra Weller [email protected] Writter Editor-in-chief, JBC [email protected] companying deluge of scientific papers, with their surrounding communities. Chair, Publications Ed Marklin A. L. Burlingame Committee Ed WebMarklin Editor calling into question the ponderous We don’t have room for all of their Editor, MCP Lila M. Gierasch Web [email protected] Editor traditions of academic publication. The ideas here; I’ll share more at asbmb. NicholasEditor-in-chief, O. Davidson JBC [email protected] Frick pandemic and coinciding Black Lives org/asbmb-today. Editor-in-chief, JLR AllisonMedia Frick Specialist A. L. Burlingame [email protected] and Social Media Matter protests have highlighted flaws Maybe you have ideas for reimagin- Kerry-AnneEditor, MCP Rye Editor-in-chief, JLR ContentBarbara Manager Gordon in the highly competitive (and often ing some of these systems — or others. Nicholas O. Davidson [email protected] Director Editor-in-chief, JLR non-inclusive) systems of biomedical We invite you to write them down. [email protected] Gordon Kerry-Anne Rye Executive Director research. Good ideas come in all sizes, so your Editor-in-chief, JLR [email protected] I offer these examples because two submission can be anything from writers have done more than fret about 250 to 1,500 words. Please email it to them. Ken Hallenbeck and Chris Pick- [email protected]. Deadline is ForFor information information on on advertising, advertising, contact contact Pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical Media Inc. at 212-904-0374 or [email protected]@pminy.com.. ett lay out blueprints for change on March 15, 2021. pages 40 and 43. They reimagine these hidebound structures. What can you reimagine? Comfort Dorn (cdorn@ asbmb.org) is the managing The world will be a different place editor of ASBMB Today. Follow next spring — a year after COVID-19 www.asbmb.org/asbmbtodaywww.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday her on Twitter @cdorn56. PRINT ISSNISSN 2372-0409 2372-0409 began to shutter much of the planet. Why not make this a time for rethink- ArticlesArticles published published in ASBMB in ASBMB Today Today reflect reflect solely solely the authors’the authors’ views viewsand not ing these structures in ways that are theand official not the official positions positionsof the American of the SocietyAmerican for BiochemistrySociety for Biochemistry and Molecular and BiologyMolecular or Biologythe institutions or the institutions with which with the authorswhich the are authors affiliated. are affiliated. Mentions of productsMentions or of services products are or not services endorsements. are not endorsements. 2 ASBMB TODAY SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS Society to name fellows By Angela Hopp he American Society for Biochem- fellows will be contacted in mid- University School of Medicine. istry and Molecular Biology is February, and a public announcement “The ASBMB Fellows designation Tlaunching an honorific program will follow soon thereafter. The fel- will recognize the contributions of to recognize members who have made lows also will be honored at the 2021 those members who have excelled in outstanding contributions to the field ASBMB Annual Meeting, which will research, education, advocacy and through their research, teaching and be held virtually. mentorship of future scientists and mentoring, or other forms of service. “The ASBMB has been the profes- contributed to the mission of the so- About two dozen scientists will be sional home for and nurtured the ciety. This honor will recognize their inducted into the ASBMB Fellows careers of many great scientists,” said commitment to their profession.” Program each year. Nominations will Bettie Sue Masters, a member of the To learn more about the program come from the membership, and the ASBMB Membership Committee or to nominate a member, visit ASBMB Council will make the final and a faculty member at the Duke asbmb.org/about/asbmb-fellows. selections. “The ASBMB fellows will be expected to embody the society’s core values and serve as role models by ASBMB Today wins awards performing excellent research, tak-