Structural Biology of Innate Immune Receptors

The Jin laboratory of structural immunology focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of signal transduction by innate immune receptors. Innate immune system depend on multiple cellular surface or cytoplasmic receptors to recognize pathogenic or danger signals and trigger an array of immune responses through the induction of various inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and type I interferons. Several families of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), NOD-like receptors (NLRs), and AIM2-like receptors (ALRs), are known to play a crucial role in innate immune defense system. Moreover, C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) also induce antifungal signalling pathways that promote the expression of specific cytokines. In addition, the complex interplay between PRRs and other immune pathways such as TNF receptor, finely engage outcomes of host defense response.

The overall objective of our lab is to determine the molecular mechanism of how cells respond to extracellular as well as internal stimuli by innate immune receptors through sensing/binding PAMPs/DAMPs, and initiate downstream inflammatory signaling cascades.