Title: "A Life in Lipids: Reflections on my Metabolic Journey. On Curiosity, Collaboration, and Double Bonds"

Abstract: Most biomolecules are polymers assembled from defined monomers—nucleotides, amino acids, or monosaccharides. Lipids, however, are distinct: rather than being built from a single monomeric unit, they are classified by a shared physical property, hydrophobicity. This fundamental difference presents unique challenges for cells, particularly in how they sense environmental conditions, regulate lipid biosynthesis, and acquire lipids from their surroundings. Using the eukaryotic baker’s yeast, research in the McDonough lab focuses on understanding the regulation of lipid metabolism, using unsaturated fatty acid metabolism as a model system. We have found that there is cross-talk between the different classes of lipids affecting fatty acid metabolism, and yet, highly specific response to different species of fatty acids. This talk will explore emerging principles of lipid sensing and regulation, and how cells balance global lipid control with molecular specificity.

Bio: Dr. McDonough is a molecular biologist whose research focuses on the regulation of lipid metabolism. Now in her 31st and final year at Hope College, she reflects on a career dedicated to undergraduate education, mentorship, and lipid biology. Over her career, she has guided dozens of undergraduates through independent research projects and into graduate, professional, and scientific careers, and taught genetics and molecular biology across all levels of the curriculum. Her work in lipid biology began during her graduate training at Rutgers University with Dr. Chuck Martin, where she studied the molecular biology of unsaturated fatty acid metabolism. She continued this focus as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. George Carman, investigating the biochemistry of phospholipid metabolism. Dr. McDonough’s greatest success has been her long-standing partnership with Dr. Joseph Stukey—sharing a life centered on talking science, publishing together, creating a home, and raising their two sons.