In memoriam: Susan A. Henry

Susan A. Henry, an editorial board member of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and a pioneer in the study of yeast genetics and lipid metabolism, died March 7 at age 79. She was an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology member for more than 20 years.

Susan A. Henry

Born June 27, 1946, in Alexandria, Virginia, Henry received a B.S. in zoology from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing postdoctoral research at Brandeis University, Henry held leadership positions at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University. Later, she joined Cornell University as a professor of molecular biology and genetics.

Henry is most widely recognized for her research into the genetic regulation of lipid metabolism in yeast. Since the 1970s, she studied the metabolism of inositol, a major phospholipid precursor and signaling molecule, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

According to George Carman, a Rutgers University Board of Governors professor, founding director of the Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and Henry’s informal mentee and long-collaborator, Henry transformed the study of lipids and membranes by placing genetic analysis at the center of her work. She and colleagues published three JBC Classics papers that reported on the sequence and genetic analysis of the INO1 gene, as well as its regulation by a transcriptional repressor and two transcriptional activators. The 1NO1 gene encodes an enzyme critical in the synthesis of inositol-containing phospholipids.  

“Her pioneering use of baker’s yeast to define lipid synthesis genes and enzymes provided the essential blueprint for researchers worldwide to map these same pathways in humans,” Carman said. “Her work provided a critical framework for understanding human lipid-based conditions, offering vital insights into the molecular roots of diseases such as obesity and cancer.”

For her work, Henry received the National Institutes of Health Method to Extend Research in Time Award, ASBMB Avanti Award and Cornell University’s Alice H. Cook Award. She was also elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Henry is survived by her younger brother, daughter, son and four grandchildren.