Zunlong Ke
- Assistant Professor
- Molecular Biosciences
The Ke Lab started in February 2024 and is actively recruiting:
- graduate students
- postdoctoral fellows
- research scientists
Contact Information
Biography
Dr. Zunlong Ke's research aims to understand viral structure and function by dissecting key macromolecular complexes upon host-pathogen interactions. He did his PhD in structural Biology with Dr. Elizabeth Wright at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. Before coming to UT Austin as an Assistant Professor in February 2024, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. John Briggs at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK) and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Munich, Germany).
Research
Our research focuses on understanding viral structure and function by dissecting key macromolecular complexes upon virus-host interactions. We will take advantage of the state-of-the-art technique of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), which allows high-resolution structure determination of macromolecules in their native environment. We are also interested in developing and applying machine learning to process low signal-to-noise ratio micrographs. Ultimately, the Ke Lab aims to uncover molecular insights into cancer-causing viral diseases, providing a basis for antiviral therapy and vaccine development.
Research Areas
- Biophysics or Structural Biology
- Infectious Disease, Immunology and Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Vaccines and/or Therapeutics
Fields of Interest
- Structural Biology and Biophysics
- Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease
- Biochemistry
Centers and Institutes
- John Ring LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs
Education
- 2021 - 2024 Postdoctoral Fellow with John Briggs, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Munich, Germany
- 2018 - 2021 Postdoctoral Fellow with John Briggs, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, UK
- 2012 - 2018 Ph.D. in Structural Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Advisor: Elizabeth Wright
- 2008 - 2012 B.S. in Biology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Publications
For the full publication list, please see Google Scholar
Selected Publications Below:
Ke Z, Oton J, Qu K, Cortese M, Zila V, McKeane L, Nakane T, Zivanov J, Neufeldt CJ, Cerikan B, Lu JM, Peukes J, Xiong X, Kräusslich HG, Scheres SHW, Bartenschlager R, Briggs JAG. Structures and distributions of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins on intact virions. Nature. 588(7838):498-502 (2020).
Qu K, Ke Z, Zila V, Anders-Össwein M, Glass B, Mücksch F, Müller R, Schultz C, Müller B, Kräusslich HG, Briggs JAG. Maturation of the matrix and viral membrane of HIV-1. Science. 373(6555):700-704 (2021).
Ke Z, Strauss JD, Hampton CM, Brindley MA, Dillard RS, Leon F, Lamb KM, Plemper RK, Wright ER. “Promotion of virus assembly and organization by the measles virus matrix protein. Nature Communications. 9(1):1736 (2018).
Ke Z, Dillard RS, Chirkova T, Leon F, Stobart CC, Hampton CM, Strauss JD, Rajan D, Rostad CA, Taylor JV, Yi H, Shah R, Jin M, Hartert TV, Peebles RS Jr, Graham BS, Moore ML, Anderson LJ, Wright ER. The morphology and assembly of respiratory syncytial virus revealed by cryo-electron tomography. Viruses. 10(8):446 (2018).
Hampton CM, Strauss JD, Ke Z, Dillard RS, Hammonds JE, Alonas E, Desai TM, Marin M, Storms RE, Leon F, Melikyan GB, Santangelo PJ, Spearman PW, Wright ER. Correlated fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron tomography of virus-infected or transfected mammalian cells. Nature Protocols. 12(1):150-167 (2017).
Zivanov J, Otón J, Ke Z, von Kügelgen A, Pyle E, Qu K, Morado D, Castaño-Díez D, Zanetti G, Bharat TAM, Briggs JAG, Scheres SHW. A Bayesian approach to single-particle electron cryo-tomography in RELION-4.0. eLife. 11:e83724 (2022).
Ke Z, Peacock TP, Brown JC, Sheppard CM, Croll TI, Kotecha A, Goldhill DH, Barclay WS, Briggs JAG. Virion morphology and on-virus spike protein structures of diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. preprint bioRxiv. (2023).
Salie ZL, Ke Z, Halfmann P, DeWald LE, McArdle S, Grinyó A, Davidso E, Schendel S, Hariharan C, Norris M, Yu X, Chennareddy C, Xiong X, Heinrich M, Holbrook M, Doranz B, Crozier I, Hastie K, Kawaoka Y, Branco LM, Kuhn JH, Briggs JAG, Worwa G, Davis C, Ahmed R, Saphire EO. Anti-Ebola virus mAb 3A6 with unprecedented potency protects highly viremic animals from fatal outcome and physically lifts its glycoprotein target from the virion membrane. preprint Research Square. (2023).
Awards
- 2023 CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
- 2021 Researcher of the Year (Highly Commended) at the Cambridge Independent’s Science and Technology Awards, Cambridge, UK
- 2021 End of Year Special Awards Scheme Award for 2020, Medical Research Council, UK
- 2015 Ruska Award in Biological Sciences, Southeastern Microscopy Society, Decatur, GA
- 2015 Best Electron Micrograph Award, Southeastern Microscopy Society, Decatur, GA
- 2011 Presidential Scholarships for excellent students, Wuhan University, China