>> go to faculty list
>> go to Department of Molecular Cell Biology
Ahn, Jin Hyun, Associate Professor

Molecular Virology Laboratory
Department of Molecular Cell Biology
Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
300 Chunchundong, Jangangu
Suwon, Gyonggido 440-746
Korea
Tel: +82-31-299-6222
Fax: +82-31-299-6435
e-mail: jahn@med.skku.ac.kr

Education and Experiences:

Mar. 2001 - present : Assistant/Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Mar. 2000 - Feb. 2001: Research Associate, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, U.S.A.
Sep. 1994 - Dec. 1999: Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, U.S.A.
Mar. 1988 - Feb. 1994: Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University
Mar. 1986 - Feb. 1988: M.S. in Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University
Mar. 1982 - Feb. 1986: B.S. in Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University

Research Interest:

Gene regulation and DNA replication of human cytomegalovirus Regulation of SUMO modification during viral infection

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the betaherpesvirus subfamily, is a ubiquitous pathogen that causes congenital disease and disease in immunocompromised individuals. Among 150 proteins encoded by HCMV, two major immediate-early (MIE) proteins, IE1 and IE2 are key nuclear regulatory proteins that are believed to govern both lytic cycle progression and reactivation from the latent state. Therefore, studying the detailed action mechanisms of the MIE proteins has been a major HCMV research area.

We are currently studying novel functions of the MIE proteins and mechanisms for initiation of DNA replication of HCMV. These include (i) viral gene regulation during the progression of lytic infection, (ii) roles of viral immediate-early proteins in overcoming innate antiviral responses, (iii) mechanisms for the assembly of viral DNA replication compartments, (iv) functions of a viral tegument protein in viral entry and egress, and (v) the cellular SUMO modification system and its modulation by viral infection. These studies will help us understand how the viral regulatory proteins function during the progression of viral infection and modulate host functions to prepare the infected-host cells for the production of progeny virions.

Recent Publications:

  1. Pham, H. T., M.-Y. Park, K. K. Kim, Y. ?G. Kim, and J.-H. Ahn. 2006. Intracellular localization of human ZBP1: differential regulation by the Z-DNA binding domain, Z?, in splice variants. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 348:145-152.
  2. Kang, H.,, E. T. Kim, H.-R. Lee, J.-J. Park, Y. Y. Go, C. Y. Choi, and J.-H. Ahn. 2006. Inhibition of SUMO-Independent PML Oligomerization by the Human Cytomegalovirus IE1 Protein. J. Gen. Virol. 87:2181-2190.
  3. Park, M.-Y., Y.-E. Kim, M.-R. Seo, J.-R. Lee, C. H. Lee, and J.-H. Ahn. 2006. Interactions among four proteins encoded by human cytomegalovirus UL112-113 region regulate their intranuclear targeting and recruitment of UL44 to pre-replication foci. J. Virol. 80(6): 2718-2727.
  4. Ha, S.C., D. Van Quyen, H. Y. Hwang, D. B. Oh, B. A. Brown 2nd, S. M. Lee, H. J. Park, J.-H. Ahn, K. K. Kim, Y.-G. Kim. Biochemical characterization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of the domains of human ZBP1 bound to left-handed Z-DNA .2006. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) ? Proteins & Proteomics 1764:320-323.
  5. Sung, K. S., Y. Y. Go, J.-H. Ahn, Y. H. Kim, Y. Kim, and C. Y. Choi. 2005. Differential interactions of the homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) by phosphorylation-dependent sumoylation. FEBS Letters 579(1):3001-3008.
  6. Sung, K. S., Y. Y. Go, J.-H. Ahn, Y. H. Kim, Y. Kim, and C. Y. Choi. 2005. Differential interactions of the homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) by phosphorylation-dependent sumoylation. FEBS Letters 579(1):3001-3008.
  7. Kim ,Y.-E., D.-Y. Kim, J.-M. Lee, S.-T. Kim, T.-H. Han, and J.-H. Ahn. 2005. Requirement of the coiled-coil domain of PML-RARa oncoprotein for localization, sumoylation, and inhibition of monocyte differentiation. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 330:746-754.
  8. Choi, S.-J., J.-H. Moon, Y.-W. Ahn, J.-H. Ahn, D.-U. Kim, and T.-H. Han. 2005. Tsc-22 enhances TGF-b signaling by associating with Smad4 and induces erythroid cell differentiation. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 271:23-28.
  9. Shin, J., B. Park, S. Cho, S. Lee, Y. Kim, S.-O. Lee, K. Cho. S. Lee, J.-H. Ahn, E.-J. Choi, and K. Ahn. 2004. PML is a direct inhibitor of SAPK2/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. J. Biol. Chem. 279(39):40994-41003.
  10. Lee, H.-R., and J.-H. Ahn. 2004. Sumoylation of the major immediate-early IE2 protein of human cytomegalovirus Towne strain is not required for virus growth in cultured human fibroblasts. J. Gen. Virol. 85:2149-2154.
  11. Lee, H.-R, D.-J. Kim, J.-M., Lee, C. Y. Choi, B.-Y. Ahn, G. S. Hayward, and J.-H. Ahn. 2004. Ability of the human cytomegalovirus IE1 protein to modulate sumoylation of PML correlates with its functional activities in transcriptional regulation and infectivity in cultured fibroblast cells. J. Virol. 78(12): 6527-6542.
  12. Lee, J.-M, H.-J. Kang, H.-R. Lee, C. Y. Choi, W.-J. Jang, and J.-H. Ahn. 2003. PIAS1 enhances SUMO-1 modification and the transactivation activity of the major immediate-early IE2 protein of human cytomegalovirus. FEBS Letters. 555(2):322-328.
  13. Chang, S.-K., B. Park, J. Shin, J.-H. Ahn, I.-H. Kim, and K. Ahn. 2002. Proto-oncogene PML enhances antigen presentation by MHC class I molecules in human lung cancer cells. Mol. Cells. 14:130-135.
  14. Xu, Y.*, J.-H. Ahn*, M. Cheng, C. M.. apRhys, C.-J. Chiou, J. Zong, M. J. Matunis, and G. S. Hayward. 2001. Proteasome-independent disruption of PML oncogenic domains, but not covalent modification by SUMO-1, is required for the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early IE1 protein to inhibit PML-mediated transcriptional repression. J. Virol. 75:10683-10695. *These authors contributed equally in this paper.
  15. Ahn, J-H., Y. Xu,, , M. Cheng, C. M.. apRhys, C.-J. Chiou, J. Zong, M. J. Matunis, and G. S. Hayward. 2001. Proteasome-independent disruption of PML oncogenic domains, but not covalent modification by SUMO-1, is required for the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early IE1 protein to inhibit PML-mediated transcriptional repression. J. Virol. 75:10683-10695.
  16. Ahn, J.-H., Y. Xu, W.-J. Jang, M. J. Matunis, and G. S. Hayward. 2001. Evaluation of Interactions of human cytomegalovirus immediate-early IE2 regulatory protein with small ubiquitin-like modifiers and their conjugation enzyme Ubc9. J. Virol. 75:3859-3872
  17. Wu, F., J.-H. Ahn, D. J. Alcendor, W. -J. Jang, J. Xiao, S. D. Hayward, and G. S. Hayward. 2001. Origin independent assembly of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) DNA replication compartments in transient cotransfection assays and association with ORF-K8 protein and cellular PML (PODs). J. Virol. 75:1487-1506.
  18. Ahn, J.-H., and G. S. Hayward. 2000. Disruption of PML-associated nuclear bodies by IE1 correlates with the efficient viral gene expression and replication in human cytomegalovirus infection. Virology 274:39-55.
  19. Lee, G.-C., C.-K. Lee, J.-H. Ahn, and C.-H. Lee. 2000. Expression of human cytomegalovirus immediate early US3 gene in human fibroblast cells. J. Microbiol. 38:24-30.
  20. Ahn, J.-H., W.-J. Jang, and G. S. Hayward. 1999. The human cytomegalovirus IE2 and UL112-113 proteins accumulate in the viral DNA replication compartments that initiate from the periphery of promyelocytic leukemia protein-associated nuclear bodies (PODs or ND10). J. Virol. 73:10458-10471.
  21. Lee, C.-H., G.-C. Lee, Y.-J. Chan, C.-J. Chiou, J.-H. Ahn, and G. S. Hayward. 1999. Factors affecting human cytomegalovirus gene expression in human monocyte cell lines. Mol. Cells 9:37-44.
  22. Lim, D.-S., D. G. Kirsch, C. E. Canman, J.-H. Ahn, Y. Ziv, L. S. Newman, R. B. Darnell, Y. Shiloh, and M. Kastan. 1998. Atm binds to beta-Adaptin in cytoplasmic vesicles. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:10146-10151.
  23. Ahn, J.-H., E. B. Brignole III, and G. S. Hayward. 1998. Disruption of PML subnuclear domains by the acidic IE1 protein of human cytomegalovirus is mediated through interaction with PML and may modulate a RING finger dependent cryptic transactivator function of PML. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:4899-4913.
  24. Waheed, I., C.-J. Chiou, J.-H. Ahn, and G. S. Hayward. 1998. Binding of the human cytomegalovirus 80-kD immediate early protein (IE2) to minor groove A/T-rich sequences bounded by CG dinucleotides is regulated by protein oligomerization and phosphorylation. Virology 252:235-257.
  25. Ahn, J.-H., C.-J. Chiou, and G. S. Hayward. 1998. Evaluation and mapping of DNA binding and oligomerization domains of IE2 regulatory protein of human cytomegalovirus using yeast one and two hybrid interaction assays. Gene 210:25-36.
  26. Ahn, J.-H., and G. S. Hayward. 1997. The major immediate-early proteins IE1 and IE2 of human cytomegalovirus colocalize with and disrupt PML-associated nuclear bodies at very early times in infected permissive cells. J. Virol. 71:4599-4613.