James R. Horn
Recipient of Northern Illinois University's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
Protein interactions and antibody engineering
Research in the Horn lab focuses on the biophysical properties governing protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions. These interactions are crucial for biological regulation and can contribute to disease states like cancer and autoimmune diseases. Our studies aim to better understand fundamental structure-function relationships and the role that linked equilibria can play in influencing these interactions.
Proteins such as antibodies play vital roles in medical and life science applications, including protein therapeutics, diagnostics, and fundamental research. Their ability to bind selectively to target molecules with high affinity, even under harsh conditions, makes them particularly suited for these applications. We are actively developing and improving antibodies for various uses. For instance, we are exploring methods to enhance therapeutic antibody recycling and tumor targeting, where the ability to modulate binding strength with pH changes (so-called pH-switch antibodies) is of interest.
Across our projects, we use a range of tools, such as phage display, biophysical analysis (including isothermal titration calorimetry), and structural biology to gain insights into structure and energetic relationships.
Representative publications
- Smith, C.A., Sonneson, G.J., Hoey, R.J., Hinerman, J.M., Sheehy, K., Walter, R., Herr, A.B., and Horn, J.R. (2023). "Molecular recognition requires dimerization of a VHH antibody." mAbs, 15(1), 2215363.
- Sharma, I., Daraji, D., Horn, J.R., and Hagen, T.J. (2024). "Inhibitors of Rickettsia prowazekii methionine aminopeptidase 1 identified from the Pandemic Response Box." Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 74, 129931.
- Blain, J.M., Grote, D.L., Watkins, S.M., Goshu, G.M., Muller, C., Gorman, J.L., Ranieri, G., Walter, R.L., Hofstetter, H., Horn, J.R., and Hagen, T.J. (2021). "Structural and biophysical characterization of the Burkholderia pseudomallei IspF inhibitor L-tryptophan hydroxamate." Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 48, 128273.
- Hoey, R.J., Eom, H., and Horn, J.R. (2019). "Structure and development of single-domain antibodies as modules for therapeutics and diagnostics." Experimental Biology and Medicine, 244(17), 1568-1576.
- Mukherjee, S., Griffin, D.H., Horn, J.R., Rizk, S.S., Nocula-Lugowska, M., Malmqvist, M., Kim, S.S., and Kossiakoff, A.A. (2018). "Engineered synthetic antibodies as probes to quantify the energetic contributions of ligand binding to conformational changes in proteins." Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293(8), 2815-2828.
- Murtaugh, M.L., Fanning, S.W., Sharma, T.M., Terry, A.M., and Horn, J.R. (2011). "A combinatorial histidine scanning library approach to engineer highly pH-dependent protein switches." Protein Science, 20(9), 1619-1631. (Featured Cover Art)
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
La Tourette Hall 432
815‐753‐8654
jrhorn@niu.edu
Horn Lab Group Page
Educational Background
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago, 2003–2006
Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University Medical School, 2002–2003
Ph.D., University of Iowa, 2002
B.A., Knox College, 1996
Research Interests
Protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions; antibodies; molecular recognition; protein engineering; drug design.
