ROCK1
Description
The ROCK1 (Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 18.
ROCK1 is a protein serine/threonine kinase also known as rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1. Other common names are ROKβ and P160ROCK. ROCK1 is a major downstream effector of the small GTPase RhoA and is a regulator of the actomyosin cytoskeleton which promotes contractile force generation. ROCK1 plays a role in cancer and in particular cell motility, metastasis, and angiogenesis.
== Gene and expression == ROCK1 is also the name of the gene that encodes the protein ROCK1, a serine/threonine kinase. ROCK1 is activated when bound to the GTP-bound form of RhoA. The human ROCK1 gene is located on human chromosome 18 with specific location of 18q11.1. The location of the base pair starts at 18,529,703 and ends at 18,691,812 bp and translates into 1354 amino acids. ROCK1 has a ubiquitous tissue distribution, but subcellularly it is thought to colocalize with the centrosomes. This is consistent with its function as a key modulator of cell motility, tumor cell invasion, and actin cytoskeleton organization. In rats, ROCK1 is expressed in the lung, liver, spleen, kidney, and testis.
== Structure and regulation == The ROCK1 structure is a serine/threonine kinase with molecular weight of 158 kDa.
ROCK1 is a protein kinase that plays a crucial role in regulating the actin cytoskeleton and cell polarity. It is involved in a wide range of cellular processes, including smooth muscle contraction, actin cytoskeleton organization, stress fiber and focal adhesion formation, neurite retraction, cell adhesion, and motility. ROCK1 achieves these functions by phosphorylating various target proteins, such as DAPK3, GFAP, LIMK1, LIMK2, MYL9/MLC2, TPPP, PFN1, and PPP1R12A. It also phosphorylates FHOD1, promoting SRC-dependent non-apoptotic plasma membrane blebbing. ROCK1 can phosphorylate JIP3, regulating the recruitment of JNK to JIP3 upon UVB-induced stress. It acts as a suppressor of inflammatory cell migration by regulating PTEN phosphorylation and stability, and as a negative regulator of VEGF-induced angiogenic endothelial cell activation. ROCK1 is essential for centrosome positioning and centrosome-dependent exit from mitosis. It plays a role in terminal erythroid differentiation and inhibits podocyte motility by regulating actin cytoskeletal dynamics and phosphorylating CFL1. ROCK1 promotes keratinocyte terminal differentiation and participates in osteoblast compaction through the fibronectin fibrillogenesis cell-mediated matrix assembly process, essential for osteoblast mineralization. It might regulate the closure of the eyelids and ventral body wall by inducing the assembly of actomyosin bundles.
ROCK1 is also known as P160ROCK, ROCK-I.
