I. Robert Lehman

My research interests are the replication, repair, and recombination of DNA. Currently, I am studying the replication of herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV-1) DNA. HSV-1 is one of a large class of viruses that are of great public health importance. HSV-1 encodes seven proteins that are essential for its replication. These include a heterodimeric DNA polymerase, a single-strand DNA binding protein, a heterotrimeric primosome with primase and helicase activities and an origin binding protein. We have purified each of these enzymes to homogeneity and have been studying their structure and mechanism. Our aim is to reconstitute HSV-1 DNA replication in vitro with these purified proteins supplemented with host encoded factors.