Education & Career

• 2001 Osaka University PhD in Macromolecular Science
• 1999 Osaka University MS in Macromolecular Science
• 1989 Seoul National University BS in Pharmacy
• 1989 – 1996 ChungWae Pharm. Co., Senior Scientist
• 2002 - 2004 Osaka University, Post-doctoral fellow (Department of Medicine)
• 2004 - 2006 MRC-LMB, Cambridge, UK, Post-doctoral fellow (Structural Studies)
• 2006 - present Chungbuk National University, Professor (Department of Manufacturing Pharmacy)
• 2007 - 2009 Chairman, Department of Manufacturing Pharmacy
• 2017 - 2019 Deputy Dean, College of Pharmacy

Honor and Awards

• 1996 - 2001 Japanese Government Scholorship(Monbusho Scholarship)
• 2002 - 2004 JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers
• 2004 - 2006 EMBO Fellowship

Research Areas

Our group at Chungbuk National University has been focused on the elucidation of structure-function relationship of protein-protein or protein-RNA complexes, especially nuclear transport related protein complexes including importin- family. A eukaryotic cell is divided into two major compartments, nucleus and cytoplasm by nuclear envelope. Intracellular signals are transmitted via the continuous and bi-directional transport of proteins between the nucleus and the cytoplasm through nuclear pores. To elucidate the molecular basis for such intracellular communication in atomic level, we crystallize and solve the structure of nuclear-transport carrier proteins.

Recently, we expanded our research interests with protein drugs including antibody. Collaboration with Osong KBIO for the X-ray structural analysis of virus antibody-antigen complex are in progress.

Selected Publications

1. Yamazawa R., Jiko C., Choi S., Park I.Y., Nakagawa A., Yamashita E. a, Lee S.J. a, (2018) Structural Basis for Selective Binding of Export Cargoes by Exportin-5. Structure 2018 Oct 2;26(10):1393-1398 ( a corresponding author)
2. Song J., Kose S. a, Watanabe A., Son S.Y., Choi S., Hong H., Yamashita E., Park IY., Imamoto N. a, Lee S.J. a (2015) Structural and functional analysis of Hikeshi, a new nuclear transport receptor of Hsp70s. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2015 Mar 1;71(Pt 3):473-83. ( a corresponding author)
3. Choi S., Yamashita E., Yasuhara N., Song J., Son S.Y., Won Y.H., Hong H.R., Shin Y.S., Sekimoto T., Park I.Y., Yoneda Y. a, Lee S.J. a (2014) Structural basis for the selective nuclear import of the C2H2 zinc-finger protein Snail by importin β. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2014 Apr;70(Pt 4):1050-60. ( a corresponding author)
4. Wyszynski FJ, Lee SS, Yabe T, Wang H, Gomez-Escribano JP, Bibb MJ, Lee SJ, Davies GJ, Davis BG.(2012) Biosynthesis of the tunicamycin antibiotics proceeds via unique exo-glycal intermediates. Nature Chemistry 4, 7, 539-546
5. Lee S.J a, Jiko C, Yamashita E, Tsukihara T a.(2011) Selective nuclear export mechanism of small RNAs. Curr. Opi. Struct. Biol. 21, 1, 101-108 (a corresponding author)
6. Okada C*., Yamashita E*., Lee S.J*,a., Shibata S., Katahira J., Nakagawa A., Yoneda Ya., Tsukihara Ta. A high-resolution structure of the pre-microRNA nuclear export machinery Science 27, 326, 1275-1279 ( * equally contributed author,  a corresponding author )
7. Lee S.J., Ogasahara K., Ma J., Nishio K., Ishida M., Yamagata Y., Tsukihara T., Yutani K. (2005) Conformational Changes in the Tryptophan Synthase from a Hyperthermophile upon a2b2 Complex Formation : Crystal Structure of the Complex Biochemistry 44, 11417-11427
8. Lee S.J., Matsuura Y., Liu S.M., Stewart M. (2005) Structural basis for nuclear import complex dissociation by RanGTP. Nature 435, 7042, 693-696.
9. Tsunehiro M., Takeshi H., Yukiko Y., Lee S.J., Tomoki C., Kazuhiro I, Yoshiki Y., Koichi K., Tomitake T., Keiji T. (2004) Structural basis of sugar-recognizing ubiquitin ligase. Nat. Struc. Mol. Biol., 11, 365-370.
10. Lee S.J., Sekimoto T., Yamashita E., Nagoshi E., Nakagawa A., Sakai H., Imamoto N., Tsukihara T., Yoneda Y. (2003) The structure of importin-beta bound to SREBP-2: nuclear import of a transcription factor. Science. 302, 1571-1575.