Rho Associated Coiled Coil Containing Protein Kinase 1 (Rock1)

ROCK1, is a protein serine/threonine kinase, It is activated when bound to the GTP-bound form of Rho GTPase. This protein is thus a downstream effector of Rho. It phosphorylates and activates LIM kinase, which in turn, phosphorylates cofilin, inhibiting its actin-depolymerizing activity. Thus, ROCK1 contributes to actin-stability.In a study of the expression of ROCK1 during the cell cycle of the corneal epithelium, they found that levels of ROCK1 were significantly lower in the G1 phase than in the S and G0 phases. Downregulation of ROCK1 during the G1 phase is due in part to the decreased levels of its mRNA. The authors concluded that ROCK1 may have a role in the progression of the cell cycle in the corneal epithelial cells as they migrate centripetally from the limbus across the corneal surface.