Specifically, our research is focused on three areas:
a) Virus-cell and cell-cell fusion
b) How human innate immune restriction factors target HIV-1 replication and are counteracted by viral antagonists
c) Discovery of anti-viral agents

We employ a combination of X-ray crystallography and small angle X-ray scattering, in addition to other molecular biological and biophysical techniques, to understand these host-pathogen interactions. Crystallographic analysis of viral surface glycoproteins and restriction factors has offered a tremendous wealth of insights into recognition, entry, evasion, restriction, and pathogenesis unobtainable by other methods. Once structures are determined, questions and hypotheses arising will be subsequently tested using biochemical, immunological and virological techniques.

Selected publications:

1. JD Cook, A Sultana, and JE Lee. (2017). Structure of the infectious salmon anemia virus receptor complex illustrates a unique binding strategy for attachment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 114(14): E2929-2936.
2. JD Cook, H Soto-Montoya, MK Korpela, and JE Lee. (2015). Electrostatic architecture of the ISAV core fusion protein illustrates carboxyl-carboxylate pH sensor. J Biol Chem. 290(30):18495-504.
3. H Aydin*, M Taylor* and JE Lee. (2014). Structure-guided analysis of the human APOBEC3-HIV restrictome. Structure. 22(5):668-84.
4. KK Siu, A Sultana, FC Azimi and JE Lee. (2013). Structural determinants of HIV-1 Vif susceptibility and DNA binding in APOBEC3F. Nature Communications. 4 (4), 2593.
5. JD Cook and JE Lee. (2013). The secret life of viral entry glycoproteins: moonlighting in immune evasion. PLoS Pathogens. 9 (5) e1003258. 1-5.