Biophysical Society Bulletin | February 2022

Biophysicist in Profile

Inspired by the work of Carol Deutsch showing cotranslational association of ion channel subunits, Robertson’s then-grad- uate student Pallavi Phartiyal made the discovery that alter- nate transcripts encoding two subunits of the hERG channel, hERG1a and 1b, must be near or interacting with each other during channel biogenesis. “Finding no evidence in the litera- ture at the time of such interactions in any biological system, we published but then shelved further work on the project. Ten years later, we found these transcripts were also coreg- ulated by shRNAs specifically targeting either transcript. This set us on course to show they interact cotranslationally, both in heterologous systems and in cardiomyocytes. Employing RNA-IP and single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridiza- tion, we made the further surprising observation that mRNAs encoding different ion channels, such as those engaged in producing the ventricular action potential, are also associ- ated and coregulated,” she says. “These observations have led us closer to a major question dogging me throughout my career: How is the balance of different ion channels achieved to create a ventricular action potential, or the synaptic drive underlying coordinated movements? Ongoing efforts in the lab are focused on understanding the mechanisms by which channel mRNAs are associated and quantitatively translated as an ensemble.” One of the biggest challenges in Robertson’s career has been learning mentoring skills without formal training, which is much more common now than in years past. Mentoring has also come to be the most rewarding aspect of her work. “The mentoring works in both directions: I am especially grateful to the members of my lab, the most culturally diverse group of my career. We have made events surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement an ongoing topic of lab discussion, and my trainees have elevated our collective aspirations for a diverse Biophysical Society through activities such as Black in Biophysics, founded by my graduate student Whitney Stevens-Sostre ,” Robertson shares. “The folks in my lab come from six countries and Puerto Rico, and each has a unique perspective. Those perspectives are, of course, also essential

to creative and forward-thinking science, which is challeng- ing and requires all the talent we can foster. I love my train- ees and staff, and I tell them so. They return my regard by working hard, pushing new discoveries, and training the next generation of scientists coming into the lab.” The Biophysical Society was the first place Robertson saw women engaged in science and holding leadership positions. “I had the opportunity to serve on Council early in my career, and that revealed to me some of the structural problems holding women back. I’ll never forget Dorothy Beckett ’s brave indifference to the eye rolls in the room as she insisted it was possible and indeed essential to find highly qualified women to speak in symposia. That was leadership,” she says. “We continue to have these discussions today, exercising vigilance in supporting women and other underrepresented groups in our society. I feel that most BPS members support these efforts that make the Society a welcoming place.” “For me, like many members of the Biophysical Society, the Annual Meeting has an outsized impact on scientific life. It spurs us to complete and craft our best stories for presenta- tions, offers each year a new world of advances, and builds a community among scientists that makes us all better. I trea- sure those relationships that get renewed and strengthened each year. The committees and Subgroups, run by volunteer members, are powerful drivers for the Society. And now more than ever I appreciate the BPS staff, who do much more than I realized prior to becoming president-elect. I used to think no one could fill [former Executive Officer] Ro Kampman ’s shoes, but Executive Officer Jennifer Pesanelli has taken the Society in many new directions and has guided her staff and the BPS leadership team with calm and grace through the previously unimaginable challenges of the pandemic. Finally, with three journals ( Biophysical Journal , Biophysical Reports , and The Biophysicist ) each under fresh editorial leadership, I am excited about our renewed potential as a Society to promote scientific excellence and support the next generation of biophysicists.”

Members in the News

Amitabha Chattopadhyay , Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)–Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology and Society member since 1984, was awarded a CSIR Bhatnagar Fellowship.

Amitabha Chattopadhyay

February 2022

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