ROCK1 (human, recombinant)

Rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that has roles in cytoskeletal organization, as well as cell survival, proliferation, and apoptosis.^1,2 It exists as a homodimer where each monomer is composed of an N-terminal kinase domain, a coiled-coil region that contains the Rho-binding domain, and a C-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain that contains a cysteine-rich C1 domain and acts as an autoinhibitory region.^3,2 Rock1 mRNA is expressed in all tissues except in the muscle and brain, and the protein is localized predominantly in the cytosol but also associates with the plasma membrane and centrosomes.^2,1 Binding of ROCK1 to GTP-bound RhoA induces activation of ROCK1, which phosphorylates a variety of downstream targets, including myosin light chain (MLC) phosphatase 1 (MYPT1) and MLC2, that have diverse roles in cytoskeletal organization.² The C-terminal autoinhibitory region of ROCK1 is cleaved by caspase-3 during the execution phase of apoptosis, resulting in constitutively active ROCK1 and plasma membrane blebbing, a hallmark of apoptosis.^1,2 ROCK1 is overexpressed in tumors from patients with various solid tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma, or melanoma, and increased tumor ROCK1 mRNA transcript levels are correlated with increased metastasis and reduced overall survival in patients with breast cancer.^4,5 Cayman’s ROCK1 (human, recombinant) protein can be used for ELISA, enzyme activity assay, and Western blot (WB) applications.

WARNING This product is not for human or veterinary use.

1. Hartmann, S., Ridley, A.J., and Lutz, S. The function of Rho-associated kinases ROCK1 and ROCK2 in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Front. Pharmacol. 6, 276 (2015).

2. Julian, L., and Olson, M.F. Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinases (ROCK): Structure, regulation, and functions. Small GTPases 5, e29846 (2014).

3. Haga, R.B., Garg, R., Collu, F., et al. RhoBTB1 interacts with ROCKs and inhibits invasion. Biochem. J. 476(17), 2499-2514 (2019).

4. Hu, C., Zhou, H., Liu, Y., et al. ROCK1 promotes migration and invasion of non‑small‑cell lung cancer cells through the PTEN/PI3K/FAK pathway. Int. J. Oncol. 55(4), 833-844 (2019).

5. Lane, J., Martin, T.A., Watkins, G., et al. The expression and prognostic value of ROCK I and ROCK II and their role in human breast cancer. Int. J. Oncol. 33(3), 585-593 (2008).