Dungeng Peng grew up in the rural village of Xuancheng, China. Both of his parents were farmers. When Peng was young, his father also worked as a teacher at the local elementary school near the village. Peng was able to use the library at the school during that time, and was exposed to educational books, such as the 100,000 Why (Shi Wan Ge Wei She Me) series, which fostered his curiosity. His family grew rice, peanuts, soy beans, and rapeseed, in addition to a variety of fruits in their yard. “We also raised geese and chickens. During the winter, we made our own tofu, and extracted sugar from sweet potato to make desserts,” Peng shares. In addition to making treats, Peng used the available fruit to experiment with science. “I was raised in a rural village without electricity. It was a lot of fun to produce some electricity by making some fruit battery with different types of pears grown in our yard, which all successfully lit up some small red LED,” Peng says.
Peng attended Anhui National University and earned his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He went on to graduate school at the University of Science and Technology of China, where he earned his Masters of Science degree and his PhD in Chemistry. While working on his PhD, Peng “disclosed the size-dependent effect of nanometer elemental selenium (Nano-Se) on Se accumulation and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in vivo and applied its precursor to cancer research.”
“Focus, focus, and focus! There are always a lot of distractions outside, but only focusing on your own project will help you explore the world more widely and deeply.”
Following his PhD, Peng worked as a research scholar at University of California, Davis, in the lab of Gerd N. La Mar. It was at this time that he truly began using biophysical techniques. “Using proton NMR spectroscopy, I was able to use different ligands, mimicking the bound oxygen, to change the electron orbital state of the iron (III) in the center of the heme,” Peng explains. “Hence, the modified hyperfine shifts of the side chain on the heme ring enabled us to detect the change near the active site, such as the H-bond network, magnetic susceptibility, magnetic axis, and other thermodynamic profiles, and led us to understand the mechanism. I had my first hands-on experience in [La Mar’s] lab on the NMR spectrometer and fell in love with the ‘spins’ forever.”
The biggest challenge he has faced in his career so far has been the adjustment from working on cancer research to molecular biophysics. “The objective of both scientific fields is to try to answer the questions precisely and systematically, [but] at different levels. Molecular biophysics is more focused on the atomic level,” Peng says. “With the instruction from Dr. La Mar, I read some classic books on biophysics, which I put into practice in our daily research. I’ve learned lessons from every mistake.” The books Peng studied at this point in his career include NMR of Proteins and Nucleic Acids by Kurt Wüthrich; the Porphyrin Handbook: Bioinorganic and Bioorganic Chemistry by Roger Guilard, et al; Practical NMR Applications by Quincy Teng; and Protein NMR Spectroscopy, Principles, and Practice by John Cavanagh, et al.
Peng worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Chuck Sanders, a professor of biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. “Dungeng’s main project in my lab as a postdoc was to express, purify, and characterize the voltage sensor domain of the human KCNQ1 potassium channel. This is an important protein in both normal and defect heartbeat. His NMR studies of this domain were groundbreaking,” Sanders says.
Currently, Peng is working in Hassane Mchaourab’s lab at Vanderbilt University as a research fellow. His research focuses on expanding the mechanistic understanding of a proton-coupled transporter from 3D structure to the fourth dimension dynamics, which reflects the conformational equilibrium, the correlation between 3D structure, and the transporter’s function. “Using an electron paramagnetic spectroscopy method called double electron-electron resonance (DEER), I analyzed the dynamics of a member of amino acid, polyamine and organocation (APC) transporters, the human homologs of which are involved in amino acid transportation, cancer development, and diseases such as cyntinura, lysinuric protein intolerance.”
Peng names experimental “tuning” as his favorite part of biophysics. “For example, just like tuning sample to match the frequency of the magnetic field, the biophysical research allows you to adjust your experimental design by the model you have and then allows you to use the information generated to redo the tuning of the model to the optimized condition,” he explains.
Kristin Droege, who had Peng as her rotation mentor during her time as a graduate student in Sanders’s lab, was impressed by Peng’s determination to work through problems. “Dungeng’s ability to think through scientific problems is his most memorable quality. He is constantly considering new techniques that could be applied to his lab work. Anytime a setback was encountered on my rotation project, Dungeng would be able to develop a method for fixing the issue,” Droege says. “He showed me the importance in careful experiment planning and how to consider any issues that can arise. He helped me develop my own planning strategies that I still use today.”
Peng also made an impression on the Sanders lab with regard to his personality. “Dungeng is driven both by abundant curiosity and a high degree of collegiality,” Sanders recalls. “He always made newcomers to the lab feel welcome and always maintained a positive attitude. My lab is in complete agreement that Dr. Peng can whistle a tune better than anyone else on the planet.”
Cheryl Law, who was a graduate student in Sanders’s lab during Peng’s time there, agrees with Sanders’s description, saying, “Dr. Peng was the kind of colleague who brought a smile to everyone’s face whether it was through his positive demeanor, willingness to help others in lab, or him beautifully whistling Christmas songs in the middle of July.”
When he is not in the lab, Peng enjoys hiking, playing basketball, and spending time with his daughter. “As well as a brilliant scientist,” Law says, “Dr. Peng has a strong sense of family, especially for his young daughter. He would cover his iPad with his young daughter’s onesie. It was like he always wanted to have a piece of her close by while he worked.”
Peng’s career thus far has taught him the value of his curiosity and of his focus. He advises scientists just starting out in their careers, “Focus, focus, and focus! There are always a lot of distractions outside, but only focusing on your own project will help you explore the world more widely and deeply.” Peng hopes to continue pursuing more advanced studies in membrane proteins, and to train students who are interested in the field. According to Droege, Peng has already begun leaving his mark. “Dungeng was a very helpful colleague and mentor,” she says. “He would always offer advice and assistance during an experiment. He would forward scientific articles he thought would help further my knowledge base. He was very focused on his project yet still able to set aside time to ensure I was learning the tools I needed.”