Have you renewed your membership for 2019? Together, we’ll continue to advocate for science, connect researchers around the world and build a bright future for biochemists and molecular biologists everywhere. Learn more at www.asbmb.org/membership CONTENTS NEWS FEATURES PERSPECTIVES 2 23 54 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MEET JEAN SCHAFFER ESSAY Are we more than biochemists Tracing the lipid path e recommendation letter conundrum and molecular biologists? from diabetes to heart disease 56 3 28 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT NEWS FROM THE HILL ANNUAL MEETING Seeking to understand the rules of life — Raise the caps one last time 29 Award winner proles and taking life lessons from dogs 43 Beyond federal funding 44 Professional development — 4 it’s not just for grad students NEWS 58 46 Scan and connect NIGHT SHIFT Member update 47 Carbs got you down? Struggle of choice 48 Welcome to Orlando 51 Getting around Orlando 7 52 Annual meeting round-up RETROSPECTIVE 60 Julian B. Marsh (1926 – 2018) OPEN CHANNELS 23 Credit for discovery and a patenting gae 10 LIPID NEWS 54 PI(3,4)P2 : A versatile lipid second messenger 11 JOURNAL NEWS 11 A change in labs reveals a key to cataract formation 13 Proteogenomics researchers zero in on causes of immune disease 44 58 14 ‘Almost like a Velcro ball’ 15 J LR launches junior associate editors program 16 From the journals 21 A YEAR OF (BIO) CHEMICAL ELEMENTS For April, it’s copper — atomic No. 29 48 14 APRIL 2019 ASBMB TODAY 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Are we more OFFICERS COUNCIL MEMBERS Gerald Hart Squire J. Booker than biochemists President Victoria J. DeRose Blake Hill Jennifer DuBois Audrey Lamb Secretary James M. Ntambi Celia A. Shier and molecular Toni M. Antalis Treasurer Takita Felder Sumter Kelly Ten-Hagen JoAnn Trejo EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS David Bernlohr biologists? ASBMB TODAY EDITORIAL Hao Wu ADVISORY BOARD Co-chairs, 2019 Annual By Gerald Hart Meeting Program Rajini Rao Committee Chair Cheryl Bailey Floyd “Ski” Chilton Chair, Education and Henrik Dohlman f you read the research interests of are working on. is creates a highly Professional Development Peter J. Kennelly a faculty member at any university interactive and intellectually stimulat- Committee Beronda Montgomery or medical school, it is nearly im- ing environment. A. Maureen Rouhi I Daniel Raben Melissa Vaught possible to tell whether the scientist is Fusing basic science departments Chair, Meetings Committee Binks W. Wattenberg a biochemist, molecular biologist, cell into one large unit can result in Sonia Flores Chair, Minority Aairs ASBMB TODAY biologist or biophysicist. Some deans unexpected consequences. First, when Committee Angela Hopp have used this fact to justify fusing sta and faculty no longer enjoy close Susannna Greer Executive Editor basic science departments into single interactions, administrative support Chair, Public Outreach [email protected] large units. is is a huge mistake. suers, making applying for grants Committee Comfort Dorn e topics might look similar, and dealing with paperwork more Matthew S. Gentry Managing Editor Chair, Public Aairs [email protected] but a biochemist, cell biologist and dicult; the fusion of departments Advisory Committee John Arnst biophysicist all think dierently about does not save any money, but it does Sandra Weller Science Writer [email protected] biological problems. For example, a muddy the reporting lines and ac- Chair, Publications Committee Laurel Oldach biochemist studies biology at the mo- countability of the sta. Second, the Science Writter lecular level and tries to understand larger unit fractures into unpredict- Lila M. Gierasch [email protected] Editor-in-chief, JBC Ed Marklin the chemistry of living processes, able splinter groups, making it dif- A. L. Burlingame Web Editor whereas a cell biologist studies life cult to maintain collegiality and the Editor, MCP [email protected] processes typically at the organelle or overall intellectual environment. Allison Frick Nichilas O. Davidson Media Specialist more macroscopic level, and a bio- I believe it is best to maintain Editor-in-chief, JLR [email protected] physicist focuses on the atomic level. small, focused basic science depart- Kerry-Anne Rye Barbara Gordon At most universities and medical ments but create synergy with cross- Editor-in-chief, JLR Executive Director [email protected] schools, basic science departments are departmental centers and institutes small enough that all the faculty know in some detail what their colleagues CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 For information on advertising, contact Pharmaceutical Media Inc. at 212-904-0374 or [email protected]. Corrections In the March issue, the item title “Neuronal GIRK currents and blood cholesterol level” on page 17 should have stated that Anna Bukiya of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Avia Rosenhouse- Dantsker of the University of Illinois at Chicago led a team that published www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday in the Journal of Lipid Research. PRINT ISSN 2372-0409 In the March issue, a prole article on page 34 misstated Fan Liu’s Articles published in ASBMB Today reect solely the authors’ views and not professional positon. She is a new faculty member at the Leibniz-Forsc- the ocial positions of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology or the institutions with which the authors are aliated. Mentions of hungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie in Berlin. products or services are not endorsements. 2 ASBMB TODAY APRIL 2019 NEWS FROM THE HILL Raise the caps one last time By Benjamin Corb e National Institutes of Health Congress immediately began talk- 10 percent cut would be devastating has seen a recent funding boom remi- ing about eliminating — or raising for all domestic priorities, including niscent of a period in the late 1990s — the caps on defense spending. In investments at the NIH and National and early 2000s when the agency’s response, thousands of organizations Science Foundation. budget doubled. e NIH budget representing constituencies supported e NIH has beneted from the has increased by $9 billion since scal by nondefense discretionary, or Raise the Caps eort. NDD United’s year 2015 (nearly 25 percent), and NDD, spending (investments in sci- latest letter to Congress (sent in the American Society for Biochemis- ence, for example), started a coalition March) made the case for a discretion- try and Molecular Biology, along with named NDD United. e ASBMB is ary caps increase, highlighting recent other scientic societies, is calling for a leader in NDD United, and I am a investments in the NIH budget. a continuation of this growth in the national co-chair. NDD United’s op- “Previous bipartisan budget deals have coming year’s budget. erations currently are managed by the provided spending cap relief that has Remarkably, the recent period of ASBMB’s public aairs sta. allowed Congress to more adequately NIH budget increases has occurred For eight years, NDD United suc- fund services essential to Americans at a time when legislative budget caps cessfully has lobbied Congress to raise nationwide. For example, funding for limit the federal government’s annual spending caps on both defense and biomedical research has grown, allow- discretionary spending. nondefense priorities. anks to the ing scientists to conduct research and In 2011, in response to a balloon- coalition’s Raise the Caps advocacy discover life-saving treatments and ing federal debt and decit, President eorts, Congress has passed bipartisan cures,” the letter states. Barack Obama formed a bipartisan budget agreements every two years e ASBMB urges Congress to super committee to develop scal for the past six years that resulted in work toward a plan to raise the caps policies that would restrain federal steadily increasing nondefense discre- for the nal two years of the BCA, spending. e eort resulted in adop- tionary caps. allowing for sustained funding in tion of the Budget Control Act of e last budget agreement raised priorities such as biomedical research. 2011, or BCA, which limited both the caps for scal years 2018 and is deal would last through scal defense and nondefense discretion- 2019. e caps from the original 2021 and end the threat of spending ary spending for the next decade. 2011 law are back for scal 2020 cuts that will be mandatory if the caps e caps were intended to control and 2021, and without a plan to are not raised. spending and ensure limits on both raise them, continued increases to Republican and Democratic priorities the NIH budget are at risk. Spend- Benjamin Corb (bcorb@asbmb. (defense spending and social safety ing cap levels now in place for scal org) is director of public affairs net programs, respectively). 2020 represent a $55 billion cut to at the ASBMB. Follow him on e defense community criticized nondefense discretionary spending Twitter @bwcorb. these caps as draconian, and the U.S. from scal 2019 levels. is nearly Interested in science policy? Follow our blog for news, analysis and commentary on policy issues aecting scientists, research funding and society. Visit policy.asbmb.org APRIL 2019 ASBMB TODAY 3 MEMBER UPDATE Member update By Erik Chaulk Weiss named Indiana U signicant contributions to the eld support future research endeavors. of glycobiology. e foundation is honoring Schul- distinguished professor Taniguchi began his career on the man for her work in the elds of Indiana University has appointed faculty at Hokkaido University, where biochemistry and structural biology Michael A. Weiss, the Robert A. he rst focused his research in glyco- on the molecular mechanisms of the Harris professor of biochemistry and biology. In 1986, he was appointed ubiquitin system. molecular biology, professor and chair in the department Before joining the Max Planck as a distinguished of biochemistry at Osaka University Institute, Schulman served on the professor. School of Medicine, where his re- faculty at St.