Ronald S. Rock, Jr.

Associate Professor, University of Chicago

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Institute of Biophysical Dynamics
Gordon Center for Integrative Science W240
929 E. 57th Street
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL 60637, USA

rrock@uchicago.edu - +1 (773) 702-0716

gibraltar.uchicago.edu (group)
rsrock - 0000-0003-2188-7272

Education

1992-1998 Ph.D., Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

1989-1992 B.S., Chemistry, with Honors, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Academic Appointments

2011-Present Associate Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

2004-2010 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

1998-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Research advisor: Prof. James A. Spudich, Dept. of Biochemistry

1992-1998 Graduate Student, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Research advisor: Prof. Sunney I. Chan

1992 Research Assistant, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England
Research advisor: Prof. Alan Berry

1990-1992 Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Research advisor: Dr. Marvin Makinen

Honors and Awards

2004 Louis Block Fund Award for Basic Research and Advanced Study

2002-2008 Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface

1999-2002 Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow

1992 Summer Research Fellowship, The Royal Society (via Dr. Alan Berry)

1991 Richter Fund Fellow

Professional Service

2019 NIH Peer Review Committee: RM1 ad hoc reviewer

2019 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize reviewer

2019 NIH Peer Review Committee: Mol. Struct. Func. C, ad hoc reviewer

2017 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: Collaborative Research Centre review panel

2017 Francis Crick Institute: reviewer

2016 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: ad hoc reviewer

2016 NIH Peer Review Committee: Special Emphasis Panel

2015 NIH Peer Review Committee: Mol. Struct. Func. C, ad hoc reviewer

2012 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK) ad hoc reviewer

2012 Biophysical Society Motility Subgroup Co-Chairman

2011 American Heart Association IRG ad hoc reviewer

2011 NIH Peer Review Committee: Mol. Struct. Func. C, ad hoc reviewer

American Society for Cell Biology

Biophysical Society

Publications

  1. PresentBryan DS, Stack M, Krysztofiak K, Cichoń U, Thomas DG, Surcel A, Schiffhauer ES, Beckett MA, Khodarev NN, Xue L, Poli EC, Pearson AT, Posner MC, Robinson DN, Rock RS*, Weichselbaum RR*. 4-Hydroxyacetophenone modulates the actomyosin cytoskeleton to reduce metastasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 117(36):22423-22429 (2020)

  2. Santos A, Shauchuk Y, Cichoń U, Vavra KC, Rock RS. How actin tracks affect myosin motors. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1239:183-197 (2020)

  3. Trejo CS, Rock RS, Stark WM, Boocock MR, Rice PA. Snapshots of a molecular swivel in action. Nucleic Acids Res. 46(10):5286-5296 (2018)

  4. Zalisko BE, Chan C, Denic V*, Rock RS*, Keenan RJ*. Tail-Anchored Protein Insertion by a Single Get1/2 Heterodimer. Cell Rep. 20(10):2287-2293 (2017)

  5. French AR, Sosnick TR*, Rock RS*. Investigations of human myosin VI targeting using optogenetically controlled cargo loading. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 114(9):E1607-E1616 (2017) F1000 Prime Recommended

  6. Alcala DB, Haldeman BD, Brizendine RK, Krenc AK, Baker JE, Rock RS, Cremo CR. Myosin light chain kinase steady-state kinetics: comparison of smooth muscle myosin II and nonmuscle myosin IIB as substrates. Cell Biochem Funct. 34(7):469-474 (2016)

  7. Vavra KC, Xia Y, Rock RS. Competition between coiled-coil structures and the impact on myosin-10 bundle selection. Biophys J. 110(11):2517-27 (2016)

  8. 2015Zimmermann D^, Santos A^, Kovar DR*, Rock RS*. Actin age orchestrates myosin-5 and myosin-6 run lengths. Curr Biol. 25(15):2057-62 (2015)

  9. Surcel A, Ng WP, West-Foyle H, Zhu Q, Ren Y, Avery LB, Krenc AK, Meyers DJ, Rock RS, Anders RA, Freel Meyers CL, Robinson DN. Pharmacological activation of myosin II paralogs to correct cell mechanics defects. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 112(5):1428-33 (2015)

  10. Engelmann BW, Kim Y, Wang M, Peters B, Rock RS*, Nash PD*. The development and application of a quantitative peptide microarray based approach to protein interaction domain specificity space. Mol Cell Proteomics. 13(12):3647-62 (2014)

  11. Rock RS. Cytoskeletal motors: general principles. In: Lennarz WJ, Lane MD, ed. The Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry: 2 edition. Vol. 3. Waltham, MA: Academic Press; p. 632–635 (2013)

  12. Rock RS. Molecular motors: a finicky myosin V chooses its own path. Curr Biol. 22(15):R606-8 (2012)

  13. Spudich JA, Rice SE, Rock RS, Purcell TJ, Warrick HM. The optical trapping dumbbell assay for nonprocessive motors or motors that turn around filaments. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2011(11):1372-4 (2011)

  14. Spudich JA, Rice SE, Rock RS, Purcell TJ, Warrick HM. Attachment of anti-GFP antibodies to microspheres for optical trapping experiments. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2011(11):1370-1 (2011)

  15. Spudich JA, Rice SE, Rock RS, Purcell TJ, Warrick HM. Optical traps to study properties of molecular motors. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2011(11):1305-18 (2011)

  16. Skau CT, Courson DS, Bestul AJ, Winkelman JD, Rock RS, Sirotkin V, Kovar DR. Actin filament bundling by fimbrin is important for endocytosis, cytokinesis, and polarization in fission yeast. J Biol Chem. 286(30):26964-77 (2011)

  17. Rock RS. Muscle and myosin. In: Roux B, ed. Molecular Machines. Singapore: World Scientific Press; p. 99–114 (2011)

  18. 2010Ricca BL, Rock RS. The stepping pattern of myosin X is adapted for processive motility on bundled actin. Biophys J. 99(6):1818-26 (2010)

  19. Norstrom MF, Smithback PA, Rock RS. Unconventional processive mechanics of non-muscle myosin IIB. J Biol Chem. 285(34):26326-34 (2010)

  20. Courson DS, Rock RS. Actin cross-link assembly and disassembly mechanics for alpha-actinin and fascin. J Biol Chem. 285(34):26350-7 (2010)

  21. Nagy S, Rock RS. A structured post-IQ domain governs selectivity of myosin X for fascin-actin bundles. J Biol Chem. 285(34):26608-17 (2010)

  22. Rock RS. Intracellular transport: force controls motor switching at filament junctions. Curr Biol. 20(12):R525-7 (2010)

  23. Brawley CM, Uysal S, Kossiakoff AA*, Rock RS*. Characterization of engineered actin binding proteins that control filament assembly and structure. PLoS One. 5(11):e13960 (2010)

  24. Huang J, Nagy SS, Koide A, Rock RS*, Koide S*. A peptide tag system for facile purification and single-molecule immobilization. Biochemistry. 48(50):11834-6 (2009)

  25. Rock RS. A new direction for titin pulling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106(32):13149-50 (2009)

  26. Rizk SS, Luchniak A, Uysal S, Brawley CM, Rock RS, Kossiakoff AA. An engineered substance P variant for receptor-mediated delivery of synthetic antibodies into tumor cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106(27):11011-11015 (2009)

  27. Ren Y, Effler JC, Norstrom M, Luo T, Firtel RA, Iglesias PA, Rock RS, Robinson DN. Mechanosensing through cooperative interactions between myosin II and the actin crosslinker cortexillin I. Curr Biol. 19(17):1421-1428 (2009)

  28. Brawley CM, Rock RS. Unconventional myosin traffic in cells reveals a selective actin cytoskeleton. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106(24):9685-9690 (2009)

  29. Courson DS, Rock RS. Fast benchtop fabrication of laminar flow chambers for advanced microscopy techniques. PLoS One. 4(8):e6479 (2009)

  30. Rizvi SA, Courson DS, Keller VA, Rock RS, Kozmin SA. The dual mode of action of bistramide A entails severing of filamentous actin and covalent protein modification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105(11):4088-92 (2008)

  31. Nagy S, Ricca BL, Norstrom MF, Courson DS, Brawley CM, Smithback PA, Rock RS. A myosin motor that selects bundled actin for motility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105(28):9616-9620 (2008). Profiled in Science, Editors Choice, 25 July 2008. Vol. 321, Issue 5888, pp. 466

  32. Spudich JA, Rice SE, Rock RS, Purcell TJ, Warrick HM. Optical traps to study properties of molecular motors. In: Ha T, Selvin PR, ed. Single Molecule Techniques: A Laboratory Manual Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; p. 279–296 (2007)

  33. Churchman LS, Okten Z, Rock RS, Dawson JF, Spudich JA. Single molecule high-resolution colocalization of Cy3 and Cy5 attached to macromolecules measures intramolecular distances through time. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 102(5):1419-23 (2005)

  34. 2005Rock RS, Ramamurthy B, Dunn AR, Beccafico S, Rami BR, Morris C, Spink BJ, Franzini-Armstrong C, Spudich JA, Sweeney HL. A flexible domain is essential for the large step size and processivity of myosin VI. Mol Cell. 17(4):603-9 (2005)

  35. Okten Z, Churchman LS, Rock RS, Spudich JA. Myosin VI walks hand-over-hand along actin. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 11(9):884-7 (2004)

  36. Rock RS, Hansen KC, Larsen RW, Chan SI. Rapid photochemical triggering of protein unfolding in a nondenaturing environment. Chem Phys. 307(2-3):201–208 (2004)

  37. Rock RS, Purcell TJ, Spudich JA. The mechanics of unconventional myosins. In: Hackney DD, Tamanoi F, ed. The Enzymes: 3rd edition. Vol. 23. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press; p. 55–87 (2003)

  38. Robinson DN, Ocon SS, Rock RS, Spudich JA. Dynacortin is a novel actin bundling protein that localizes to dynamic actin structures. J Biol Chem. 277(11):9088-95 (2002)

  39. Spudich JA, Rock RS. A crossbridge too far. Nat Cell Biol. 4(1):E8–10 (2002)

  40. Rock RS, Rice SE, Wells AL, Purcell TJ, Spudich JA, Sweeney HL. Myosin VI is a processive motor with a large step size. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 98(24):13655-9 (2001)

  41. Murphy CT, Rock RS, Spudich JA. A myosin II mutation uncouples ATPase activity from motility and shortens step size. Nat Cell Biol. 3(3):311-5 (2001)

  42. Rock RS, Rief M, Mehta AD, Spudich JA. In vitro assays of processive myosin motors. Methods. 22(4):373-81 (2000)

  43. Rief M, Rock RS, Mehta AD, Mooseker MS, Cheney RE, Spudich JA. Myosin-V stepping kinetics: a molecular model for processivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 97(17):9482-6 (2000)

  44. 2000Hansen KC, Rock RS, Larsen RW, Chan SI. A method for photoinitiating protein folding in a nondenaturing environment. J Am Chem Soc. 122:11567-11568 (2000)

  45. Mehta AD, Rock RS, Rief M, Spudich JA, Mooseker MS, Cheney RE. Myosin-V is a processive actin-based motor. Nature. 400(6744):590-3 (1999)

  46. Rock RS, Chan S. Preparation of a water-soluble cage based on 3,5-dimethoxybenzoin. J Am Chem Soc. 120:10766-10767 (1998)

  47. Rock RS, Chan S. Synthesis and photolysis properties of a photolabile linker based on 3’-methoxybenzoin. J Org Chem. 61(4):1526-1529 (1996)

  48. Stowell MH, Rock RS, Rees DC, Chan SI. Efficient synthesis of photolabile alkoxy benzoin protecting groups. Tetr Lett. 37(3):307–310 (1996)

Under Review & Preprints

  1. Santos A, Kalita J, Rock RS. Slow and steady wins the race: encounters of myosin-5 and myosin-6 on shared actin filaments. bioRxiv 087940; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/087940.

  2. Krenc AK, Rokicka JJ, Rock RS. A FLIC motility assay reveals myosin-6 coordination limited by actin filament buckling. bioRxiv 068163; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/068163.

Patents

  1. 2015Drummond DA, Riback J, Scott J, Rojek A, Laskowski P, Rock RS, Rokicka J, Kucharczyk J. Heat-inducible self-assembling protein domains. US Patent Pending 15521330.

  2. 1997Rock RS, Stowell MHB. Photoresponsive sunscreen compositions. US Patent 08907188.

  3. 1996Rock RS, Stowell MHB, Chan SI. Photolabile linkers and probes. US Patent 08583994.

Presentations

Omitting 26 presentations before 2010

  1. 2020Rapid rerouting of myosin traffic at the T cell immune synapse. Talk at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (rescheduled due to COVID-19)

  2. 2019Rapid rerouting of myosin traffic at the T cell immune synapse. Talk at the meeting on Single Molecule Biophysics, Aspen, CO

  3. 2018Rapid rerouting of myosin traffic at the T cell immune synapse. Invited talk at the Cytoskeletal Motors Gordon Research Conference, West Dover, VT

  4. 2016A new approach for the optogenetic control of myosins. Invited talk at the Chicago Area Cytoskeleton meeting, Chicago, IL

  5. 2016Structural competition between coiled coils and the impact on myosin X bundle selection. Poster presentation at the Muscle and Molecular Motors Gordon Research Conference, West Dover, VT

  6. 2016Structural competition between coiled coils and the impact on myosin X bundle selection. Talk at the Molecular Motors meeting, Alpbach, Austria

  7. 2015Navigating the cell with myosins. Invited talk at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN

  8. 2015Myosin-5 and myosin-6 differentially detect actin filament age. Talk at the meeting on Single Molecule Biophysics, Aspen, CO

  9. 2014Rho-GTPases differentially affect the cellular motility of myosin-5 and myosin-6. Invited talk at the Muscle and Molecular Motors Gordon Research Conference, West Dover, VT

  10. 2013Motor and track systems for navigating the cytoskeleton. Talk at the Molecular Motors meeting, Alpbach, Austria

  11. 2013Motor and track systems for navigating the cytoskeleton. Invited talk at the Deutsch Physikalische Gesellschaft Annual Meeting (Condensed Matter Section), Regensburg, Germany

  12. 2013Motor and track systems for navigating the cytoskeleton. Platform talk at the Biophysical Society annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA

  13. 2013Motor and track systems for navigating the cytoskeleton. Talk at the meeting on Single Molecule Biophysics, Aspen, CO

  14. 2012Motor and track systems for navigating the cytoskeleton. Invited talk at the Chicago Area Cytoskeleton meeting, Chicago, IL

  15. 2012Navigating the cytoskeleton without a map or compass. Invited talk in at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

  16. 2011Navigating the cytoskeleton without a map or compass. Student invited talk in at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

  17. 2011Navigating the cytoskeleton without a map or compass. Invited talk at the NSF-sponsored meeting “How Molecules Come to Life,” Arlington, VA

  18. 2011Structural features of myosin X that favor straddling more than one actin filament. Invited talk at the meeting on Single Molecule Biophysics, Aspen, CO

  19. 2010Mechanics and organization of cell motility myosins. Invited talk at the Institut Curie, Paris, France

  20. 2010Mechanics and organization of cell motility myosins. Invited talk at the Technical University of München, München, Germany

  21. 2010Mechanics and organization of cell motility myosins. Invited talk at Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary

  22. 2010The processive mechanics of nonmuscle myosin IIB. Talk at the Molecular Motors meeting, Alpbach, Austria

Funding

Current

09/01/18 – 07/31/22 NIH R01 GM124272 (Rock RS, PI)
The molecular basis for myosin regulation

Pending

Submitted 3/2020 NIH R01 (Robinson DN, Iglesias P, & Rock RS, PIs)
Tuning myosin-II dependent mechanosensation from molecular to cellular scale

Submitted 3/2020 Accelerator Award (Weichselbaum, RR & Rock RS, PIs)
Chicago Biomedical Consortium
Targeting Cell Mechanics to Block Progression of Metastatic Cancer

Completed

09/01/19-08/30/20 NIH R01 GM124272-S1 (Rock RS, PI)
The molecular basis for myosin regulation
Administrative supplement for equipment

07/01/14-03/31/19 NIH R01 GM109863 (Robinson DN & Rock RS, PIs)
Force-sensitive macromolecular cytoskeletal assembly

09/25/06-02/29/17 NIH R01 GM078450 (Rock RS, PI)
Allostery in myosins studied at the molecular level

03/31/13-02/29/17 NIH R01 GM078450-S1 (Rock RS, PI)
Allostery in myosins studied at the molecular level
Administrative supplement for optogenetics studies with Sosnick TR.

07/01/10-06/30/12 Kamen Foundation Pilot Project (Rock RS, PI)
Self organization of actin structures

08/15/11-08/14/12 UChicago Institute of Translational Medicine (Rock RS, PI)
The role of myosin X in cell motility and metastasis

1/1/02 - 12/31/08 1002994 (Rock RS, PI)
Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface
The protein folding energy landscape at the single molecule level

1/1/05 - 12/31/07 0530315Z (Rock RS, PI)
American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant
Identifying the key mechanical elements of the myosin molecular motor

Teaching

Main Courses

2020-Present Introduction to Data Science in Biochemistry and Biophysics

2007-2019 Single Molecule Biochemistry

2009-2017 Current Seminar Topics in Biochemistry

2009-2011 Biophysical Discussions

2005-2006 Protein Molecular Structure and Function

Short Courses

2017-2019 Data Science with R

Guest Lectures

2006-Present Topics in Biological Chemistry: Single Molecule Biophysics

2014 Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Dynamics: Single Molecule Analysis

2004-2005 Protein Fundamentals: Myosin Motors

Mentorship

Ph.D. Programs

Molecular Biosciences Training Grant

Chemistry and Biology Interface Training Grant

Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences

Committee on Cancer Biology

Postdoctoral Researchers

Crista Brawley 2007-2010

Doctoral Students

  1. Urszula Cichoń 2020-

  2. Kourtney Kroll (with Tobin Sosnick) 2019-

  3. Alicja Santos 2013-2017

  4. Benjamin Zalisko (with Robert Keenan) 2011-2017

  5. Alex French (with Tobin Sosnick) 2012-2016

  6. Agata Krenc 2011-2016

  7. Kevin “KC” Vavra 2011-2016

  8. Caitlin Trejo (with Phoebe Rice) 2011-2015

  9. Brett Engelman (with Piers Nash) 2012-2013

  10. David Courson 2006-2011

  11. Stanislav Nagy 2005-2011

  12. Benjamin Ricca 2005-2011

  13. Melanie Norstrom 2004-2010

Masters Students

  1. Robert Mąka 2019

  2. Yauhen “Eugene” Shauchuk 2018

  3. Urszula Cichoń 2017

  4. Katarzyna “Kasia” Krysztofiak 2016

  5. Natalia Plewa 2015

  6. Jagoda Rokicka 2014

  7. Łucasz Truszkowski 2013

  8. Natalia Zapiórkowska 2012

  9. Joanna “Aśka” Kalita 2011

  10. Ewa Warchoł 2010

  11. Alicja Janik 2008

Undergraduate Students

Rachael Lucas, Xiaoxue Chen, Josh Chen, Marie Wu, Eric Cormack, Fatima Sow (PREP Scholar)

Thesis Committees

Gerra Bosco (Sosnick), Julie Sylvester (Kossiakoff and Kron), Devin Strickland (Sosnick), Serdar Udysal (Kossiakoff), Laura Satkamp (Glick), Ali Shandiz (Sosnick), Erin White (Glotzer), Lawrence Uricchio (Gardel), Brett Egelmann (Nash), Amelia Randich (Perozo), John Heithaus (Kossiakoff, Masters), Anna Luchniak (Gupta), Josiah Zayner (Sosnick), Mike Glista (Kovar), Bonnie Scott (Kovar), Yujie Lee (Kovar), Pawel Dominik (Kossiakoff), David Weinstein (Koide), Samantha Stam (Gardel), Will McFadden (Munro), Dan Semlow (Staley), James Fuller (Rice), Wen-Hung Chou (Kovar and Gardel)

Peer Review

Nature, Science, Cell, PNAS, Nat Struct Mol Biol, Biophys J, Curr Biol, Nat Chem Biol, Nat Comm, Sci Rep, JBC, MBoC, FEBS J, etc.

University Service

BSD Chicago Fellows Selection Committee 2020

BMB Faculty Search Committee, Co-chair 2019

Molecular Biosciences Retreat Committee 2018

IBD Yen Fellow and Grier Award Review Committee 2018-Present

Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Admissions (BMB Chair) 2015

IBD Chairman Search Committee, Co-chair 2014

Biophysics Core Facility Faculty Director 2013-Present

BSD Dean’s Faculty Advisory Committee, Chair for Basic Sciences 2014-2015

BSD Dean’s Faculty Advisory Committee 2012-2015

BSD Graduate Education Committee 2011-2015

BSD Co-director, Office of Graduate Affairs 2011-2013

Biochemistry Space Committee 2009

Biochemistry Promotions Committee 2008

American Cancer Society UChicago Institutional Research Grant Reviewer 2008

Biochemistry Website Committee 2007

Biophysics Graduate Student Admissions 2007-2010

Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Admissions (BMB Chair) 2006-2011

Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Admissions 2005

Molecular Biosciences Retreat Committee 2004

Personal

Birth date: April 18, 1971

Citizenship: USA