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John Johnson, PhD

Professor Emeritus

Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology

Eldon R. Strahm Professor of Structural Virology

John Johnson, PhD

Research Focus

We investigate model virus systems that provide insights for understanding assembly, maturation, entry, localization, and replication processes. Viruses infecting bacteria, insects, plants and the extreme thermophile sulfolobus are investigated. These viruses have genomes of ssRNA, and dsDNA. We employ a variety of physical methods to investigate structure-function relationships, including single crystal x-ray diffraction, static and time-resolved solution x-ray diffraction, electron cryo microscopy (cryoEM) and image reconstruction, mass spectrometry, structure-based computational analyses and methods associated with thermodynamic characterization of virus particles and their transitions. Biological methods employed include the genetic engineering of viral genes and their expression in E. coli, mammalian cells, insect cells and yeast and the characterization of these gene products by physical methods. Cytological studies of viral entry and infection employ fluorescence and electron microscopy and particles assembled in heterologus expression systems.

Select Publications

  • Johnson, John E.; Olson, Arthur J. Icosahedral virus structures and the protein data bank..

  • Wang, Kang; Fu, Chi- Y.; Khayat, Reza; Doerschuk, Peter C.; Johnson, John E. In vivo virus structures: simultaneous classification, resolution enhancement, and noise reduction in whole-cell electron tomography. 2011, 174, 425-33.

  • Huang, Ric K.; Steinmetz, Nicole F.; Fu, Chi- Y.; Manchester, Marianne; Johnson, John E. Transferrin-mediated targeting of bacteriophage HK97 nanoparticles into tumor cells. 2011, 6, 55-68.

  • Matsui, Tsutomu; Lander, Gabriel C.; Khayat, Reza; Johnson, John E. Subunits fold at position-dependent rates during maturation of a eukaryotic RNA virus. 2010, 107, 14111-5.

  • Khayat, Reza; Fu, Chi- Y.; Ortmann, Ali C.; Young, Mark J.; Johnson, John E. The architecture and chemical stability of the archaeal Sulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus. 2010, 84, 9575-83.

  • Gertsman, Ilya; Gan, Lu; Guttman, Miklos; Lee, Kelly; Speir, Jeffrey A.; Duda, Robert L.; Hendrix, Roger W.; Komives, Eliz A.; Johnson, John E. An unexpected twist in viral capsid maturation. 2009, 458, 646-50.
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6 San Diego scientists elected to National Academy of Sciences, embellishing the region’s standing as a research mecca 

The San Diego Union-Tribune

Integrative Structural & Computational Biology Awards & Honors Memberships
Professor emeritus John (Jack) Johnson elected to the National Academy of Sciences
News

Professor emeritus John (Jack) Johnson elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Johnson’s multi-disciplinary research has been instrumental in shaping our modern understanding of viruses.

Integrative Structural & Computational Biology
Groundbreaking Science.
Life-changing Medicine.