Curriculum Vitae

Robert Anthony Cross

Leader, Molecular Motors Group
Marie Curie Research Institute
The Chart, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0TL

Ph  +44 (0) 1883 722 306 
Fx  +44 (0) 1883 714 375  

r.cross@mcri.ac.uk
http://mc11.mcri.ac.uk/motorhome.html

Education

1976

BSc in Biochemistry  (University of Nottingham)

1983

PhD in Protein Biophysics (University of Nottingham)

Positions 

2003-

Honorary Professor of Cell Biology University of Kent at Canterbury UK

1991-

Leader, Molecular Motors Group, MCRI, UK

1988-1991

Research Staff  MRC LMB, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 2QH UK

1986-1988

MDA Fellow MRC LMB, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 2QH UK

1984-1986

EMBO Fellow OAW IMB, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Current Support Note: RCUK does not currently allow applications from MCRI. Wellcome does, as of ~5 months ago.

2009-2012

AICR Project Grant £0.2M Single molecule analysis of microtubule tip tracking in vitro

2004-2009

MRC Strategic Grant £0.5M High resolution structure-function of tubulin

2006-2009

CRUK Project Grant £0.15M Reconstitution of S. pombe microtubule dynamics in vitro

2003-2009

Co-holder on EPSRC Nanotechnology network grant £9M

Work in my group has consistently been rated Alpha-A on the MRC scales (the highest possible category) by rigorous quinquennial peer review. MCRI currently supports my own position as Senior Group Leader, plus some core posts and associated overheads. Others in the group are on grants or have their own support.

Scientific Interests & Current Research  

 

I am interested in mechanochemical coupling in molecular motors, and more generally in mechanotransduction and in the principles and possibilities of motorised molecular self-organisation in biological systems and in synthetic nanosystems. We focus specifically on the mechanochemistry of kinesins and microtubules. We develop our own optical microscopes, in particular for single molecule mechanics.

International Conferences Organised

May. 2008

MCRI Spring Workshop Microtubule Dynamics

Sept. 2005

EMBO workshop / Harden Conference Molecular Motors in Cambridge UK

1993-2008

Marie Curie annual workshops on Molecular Motors

1998

FEBS Advanced Course at MCRI, Molecular Motors

1993

EMBO workshop in Cambridge, UK Molecular Motors

1991

Wellcome Trust international Frontiers in Science congress Molecular Motors

1990

EMBO workshop in Maria Alm, Smooth Muscle Contraction

Publications

  2009

Braun, M., Drummond,D.R., Cross, R.A. & McAinsh, A.D. (2009)
Klp2 organises microtubules into parallel bundles by an ATP-dependent sorting mechanism
Nature Cell Biol. (in press)

  2008

DesGeorges, A., Katsuki, M., Drummond, D.R., Osei, M., Cross, R.A. & Amos, L.A. (2008)
Mal3, the S. pombe homologue of EB1, changes the microtubule lattice
Nature Struc. Mol. Biol.15 1102-8

Cross R.A. (2008)
Single molecule for the people (review of Single molecule techniques, a laboratory manual eds Selvin & Ha)
Nature Cell Biol. 10 1014

Dunn, S., Morrison, E., Liverpool,T., Molina-Paris, C., Cross, R., Alonso, M. & Peckham, M. (2008)
Differential trafficking of kinesin-1 (Kif5c) on tyrosinated and detyrosinated microtubules in live cells
J.Cell Sci
121 1085-95

 

Kaseda,K., Crevel, I., Hirose, K., Cross, R. (2008)
Single-headed mode of kinesin-5
EMBO Reports 9 761-76

  2007

Alonso,M.C., Drummond, D.R., Kain, S., Hoeng, J., Amos, L.A. & Cross, R.A. (2007)
An ATP-gate controls tubulin binding by the tethered head of kinesin-1
Science
316 120-123

 

Grant, B., McCammon,A., Caves, L.S. & Cross, R.A. (2007)
Multivariate analysis of conserved sequence-structure relationships in kinesins: coupling of the active site and a tubulin-binding subdomain
J.Mol.Biol.
368 1231-1248

  2006

Moores, C.A., Perderiset,M., Kappeler,C., Kain,S., Drummond, D., Perkins,S.J., Chelly, J., Cross, R.A., Houdusse,A. & Francis,F. (2006)
Distinct roles of doublecortin in modulating the microtubule cytoskeleton
EMBO J 25 4448-4457

Cross R.A. (2006)

Myosin's mechanical ratchet

PNAS 103 8911-8912

 

Carter N.J. & Cross R.A. (2006)

Kinesin's moonwalk

Current Opinion in Cell Biology 18 61-67

 

Skoufias, D.A., DeBonis, S., Saoudi, Y., Lebeau, L., Crevel, I., Cross, R., Wade, . Hackney, D. & Kozielski, F. (2006)

S-Trityl-L-cysteine is a reversible tight binding inhibitor of the hunan kinesin Eg5 that specifically blocks mitotic progression

J. Biol Chem 281 17559-17569

 

Carter N.J. & Cross R.A. (2006)

Kinesin moves by a tightrope mechanism

Nature Cell Biology currently under revision

  2005

Yajima J. & Cross R.A. (2005)

A torque component in the kinesin-1 power stroke

Nature Chemical Biology 1 338-341

 

Cross R.A. (2005)

Intracellular transport

Encyclopaedia of the Life Sciences http://www.els.net Wiley

 

Carter N.J. & Cross R.A. (2005)

Mechanics of the kinesin step

Nature 435 308-12.

 

Carter N.J. & Cross R.A. (2005)

Microtubule Motility Assays

in Celis J (ed) Cell Biology a laboratory manual

Academic Press

2004

 

Cross R.A. (2004)

The kinetic mechanism of kinesin

Trends in Biochemical Sciences 89 301-309

 

Crevel I. M-T. C. Alonso M. & Cross R.A. (2004)

Monastrol stabilizes an attached low-friction state of Eg5
Current Biology 14 R411-R412

 

Crevel, I, Nyitray M., Weiss, S., Geeves, MA, Cross, RA (2004)

What kinesin does at roadblocks: the coordination mechanism for

molecular walking

EMBO J 23 23-32

 

Eickel V. Drummond D. Kendrick-Jones J. & Cross R.A. (2004)

Kinesin heads fused to hinge-free myosin tails drive efficient motility

FEBS letters 569 54-58

 

Cross R.A. (2004)

Dynein's gearbox (Dispatch)

Current Biology 14 R355-R356

 

Cross R.A. (2004)

Kinesin's interesting limp (Dispatch)

Current Biology 14 R158-R159

2003

 

DeBonis S, Simorre JP, Crevel I, Lebeau L, Skoufias DA, Blangy A, Ebel C,

Gans P, Cross R, Hackney DD, Wade RH, Kozielski F. (2003)

Interaction of the mitotic inhibitor monastrol with human kinesin Eg5.

Biochemistry 42 338-49

2002

 

Drummond D.R. & Cross R.A. (2002)
Multiphoton versus confocal high resolution z-sectioning of eGFP microtubules. Increased multiphoton photobleaching within the focal plane can be compensated using a Pockels cell and dual widefield detectors

J. Microscopy 206
161-169

 

Olga Krylyshkina, Irina Kaverina, Wolfgang Kranewitter, Walter Steffen, Maria C. Alonso, Robert A. Cross and J. Victor Small (2002)
Modulation of substrate adhesion dynamics via microtubule targeting requires kinesin-1

J. Cell Biol 156 349-60

 

Yajima J., Alonso M.C., Cross R.A. & Toyoshima Y.Y (2002)
Direct long-term observation of kinesin processivity at zero load

Current Biology 12 301-6

2001

 

Kallipolitou A., Deluca D., Majdic,U., Laksemper S., Cross R.A., Meyhofer E, Moroder L., Schliwa,M., Woehlke G. (2001)
Unusual properties of the fungal conventional kinesin neck domain from Neurospora crassa
EMBO J. 20 6226-6235

 

Rogers K.R., Weiss S., Crevel, I., Brophy, P.J., Geeves, M.A. & Cross, R.A. (2001)
Kif1d is a fast nonprocessive kinesin that demonstrates novel K-loop-dependent mechanochemistry

EMBO J. 20 5101-5113

 

Cross R.A. (2001)
Kinesin's string variable
(dispatch)
Current Biology 11 R147-R149

 

Hirose K., Henningsen, U., Schliwa M., Toyoshima C., Shimizu T., Alonso M., Cross R.A. and Amos L.A. (2000)
Structural Comparison of Dimeric Eg5, Nkin and Ncd Head-Nkin Neck Chimaera with Conventional Kinesin

EMBO J. 19 5308-5314

 

Cross R.A. (2000)
Directing Direction
(News & Views)
Nature 406 839-840

 

Drummond, D.R. & Cross R.A. (2000)
Dynamics of interphase microtubules in Schizosacharomyces pombe
Current Biology 10 766-775

Cross, R.A. & Carter,N.J. (2000)
Molecular Motors: a primer
Current Biology 10 R177-179

Anderson K. & Cross R.A. (2000)
Contact dynamics in keratocyte motility
Current Biology 10 253-260

Cross R.A. (2000)
Molecular Motors: Kinesin's dynamically dockable neck
Current Biology 10 R124-R126

Carter N. & Cross R.A. (2000)
An improved microscope for bead and surface based motility assays
Methods in Molecular Biology 164 73-89

Cross R.A., Crevel I., Carter,N..J., Alonso, M.C., Hirose, K., and Amos, L.A. (2000)
The conformational cycle of kinesin
Proc. Roy.Soc.Ser.B 355 459-464

Cross R.A. (2000)
The mechano-biochemistry of molecular motors
Introductory article to Molecular Motors Essays in Biochemistry 35

Cross, R.A. (1999)
Walking Talking heads (dispatch)
Current Biology 9 R854-R856

Crevel, I., Carter, N., Schliwa, M. and Cross, R.A. (1999)
Coupled chemical and mechanical steps in a processive Neurospora kinesin
EMBO J 18 5863-5872

Cross R.A. and Scholey, J. (1999)
Kinesin: the tail unfolds
Nature Cell Biology 1 E119-121

Hirose K., Lowe,J., Alonso,M., Cross, R.A. and Amos,L.A. (1999)
Conguent docking of dimeric kinesin and ncd into 3D Cryo-electron microscopy maps of microubule motor.ADP complexes
Mol Biol Cell 10 2063-2074

Cross R.A. (1999)
Intracellular Transport
Encyclopaedia of the Life Sciences web article Link: ELS Gateway

Mazumdar M. and Cross, R.A. (1998)
Engineering a lever into the kinesin neck
J Biol. Chem. 273 29352-29359

Hirose K., Cross R.A., and Amos L. A. (1998)
Nucleotide-dependent Structural Changes in Dimeric NCD Molecules complexed to microtubules
J.Mol.Biol. 278 389-400

Alonso M.C., van Damme, J., Vandekerckhove,J. and Cross R.A. (1998)
Proteolytic mapping of kinesin/ncd- microtubule interface: Nucleotide-dependent conformational changes in the loops L8 and L12
EMBO J 17 945-951

Cross R.A. (1998)
Microtubule Motility Assays
in Cell Biology a Laboratory Handbook ed Celis J E 2nd edition vol 2 pp317-326

Crevel I-M T C., Lockhart, A. Cross, R.A. (1997)
Kinetic evidence for low processivity in ncd and Eg5
J Mol Biol 273 160-170

Cross R.A. (1997)
The Natural Economy of Kinesin
Current Biology 7 R631-633

Cross, R.A.(1997)
Kinesin's ratchet reversed: a diverting tail (News and Views)
Nature 389 15-16

Amos L.A. and Cross, R.A. (1997)
Structural dynamics of molecular motors
Current Opinion in Structural Biology 7 239-246

Hirose, K., Amos, W.B., Lockhart, A. Cross, R.A. and Amos,L.A. (1997)
Three dimensional cryoelectron microscopy of 16-protofilament microtubules: structure, polarity and interaction with motor proteins
J. Struc. Biol. 118 140-148

Cross, R.A. (1997)
A protein-making motor protein (News and Views)
Nature 385 18-19

Hirose, K., Lockhart, A. Cross, R.A. and Amos,L.A. (1996)
Three dimensional cryoelectron microscopy of dimeric kinesin and ncd motor domains on microtubules
PNAS 93 9539-9544

Fan,J. Griffiths, A., Lockhart, A., Cross, R.A. and Amos, L.A. (1996)
Microtubule minus ends can be labelled with a phage display antibody specific to alpha tubulin
J.Mol.Biol. 259 325-330

Crevel M-T. C., Lockhart,A. and Cross, R.A. (1996)
Weak and strong states of kinesin and ncd
J.Mol. Biol 257 66-76

Lockhart,A. and Cross, R.A. (1996)
Kinetics and Motility of the Eg5 Microtubule Motor
Biochemistry 35 2365-2373

Hirose, K., Lockhart, A., Cross, R.A. & Amos, L.A. (1995)
Nucleotide-dependent angular change in kinesin motor domain bound to tubulin
Nature 376 277-279

Cross R.A. (1995)
On the hand over hand footsteps of kinesin heads
J Mus Res Cell Mot 16 91-94

Lockhart, A., Cross, R.A. McKillop,D.F.A. (1995)
ADP release is the rate limiting step of the MT activated ATPase of non-claret disjunctional and kinesin
FEBS Lett. 368 531-535

Lockhart, A., Crevel, M-T. C. & Cross, R.A. (1995)
Kinesin and ncd bind through a single head to microtubules and compete for shared MT binding site
J.Mol.Biol. 249 763-771

Lockhart,A. and Cross, R.A. (1994)
Origins of reversed directionality in the ncd molecular motor
EMBO J. 13 751-757

Hodge, T.P., Cross, R.A. and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1992)
Role of a COOH-terminal nonhelical domain in the self-assembly of a vertebrate myosin rod
J. Cell Biol. 118 1085-1095

Cross R.A. & Kendrick-Jones J. (1992)
MgATP binding changes neither the shape nor the flexibility of the heads of single myosin molecules
J Struct. Biol. 109 208-213

Way, M., Pope, B., Cross, R.A., Kendrick-Jones, J. and Weeds, A.G. (1992)
Expression of the N-terminal domain of dystrophin in E. Coli and demonstration of binding to F-actin.
FEBS letters 301 243-245

Cross, R.A. and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1991) (eds.)
Molecular Motors
J. Cell Sci supplement 14, The Company of Biologists, Cambridge UK.

Cross, R.A. and Engel, A. (1991)
STEM mass determination of in vitro self-assembled smooth muscle myosin filaments
J. Mol. Biol. 222 455-458

Cross, R.A., Geeves, M.A. and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1991)
A nucleation-elongation mechanism for the self-assembly of side polar sheets of smooth muscle myosin
EMBO J. 10 747-756

Faruqi, A.R., Cross, R.A. and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1991)
Solution small-angle X-ray scattering studies on myosin with a multiwire area detector
J Appl Cryst 24 852-856

Ankrett, R.J., Rowe, A.J., Cross, R.A., Kendrick-Jones, J., and Bagshaw, C.R. (1991)
A folded 10S conformer of myosin from a striated muscle and its implications for regulation of ATPase activity
J. Mol. Biol. 217 323-335

Redwood C.R, Marston, S., Bryan, J., Cross, R.A.and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1990)
Functional properties of a full length and a mutant chicken gizzard caldesmon expressed in E. Coli.
FEBS Letters 270 53-56

Cross, R.A. , Stewart, M. and Kendrick-Jones, J. (1990)
Structural predictions for the central domain of dystrophin
FEBS Letters 262 87-92

Cross, R.A. (1989)
Smooth Operators: The molecular mechanics of smooth muscle contraction
Bioessays 11 18-21

Citi, S., Cross, R.A., Bagshaw,C.R. and Kendrick-Jones,J.(1989)
Parallel modulation of conformation and enzyme activity of brush border myosin by monoclonal antibodies
J.Cell Biol. 109 549-556

Cross, R.A. (1989)
The self-assembly mechanism of nonsarcomeric myosins in Structure, Interactions and assembly of cytoskeletal and extracellular proteins
Springer series in Biophysics Ed. P.M. Bayley) Eds. U Aebi, J. Engel, Springer-Verlag

Cross, R.A., Jackson, A.P., Citi, S., Kendrick-Jones, J. and Bagshaw, C.R. (1988)
Active site trapping of nucleotide by smooth and nonmuscle myosins
J.Mol. Biol. 203 173-181

Bennett, J.P., Cross, R.A., Kendrick-Jones, J. and Weeds, A.G. (1988)
Spatial pattern of myosin phosphorylation in contracting smooth muscle cells: Evidence for contractile zones
J Cell Biol. 107 2623-2629

Cross R.A., Citi,S. and Kendrick Jones, J. (1988)
How phosphorylation controls the self-assembly of vertebrate smooth and non- muscle myosins
Biochem Soc Trans 16 501-503

Cross, R.A., Cross, K.E. and Small, J.V. (1987)
Salt dependent dimerisation of caldesmon
FEBS Letters 219 306-310

Cross, R.A. & Vandekerckhove (1986)
Solubility-determining domain of smooth muscle myosin rod
FEBS Lett. 200 355-360

Cross, R.A., Cross, K.E. and Sobieszek,A. (1986)
ATP-linked monomer-polymer equilibrium of smooth muscle myosin: the free folded monomer traps ADP.Pi
EMBO J 5 2637-2641

Furst,D.O., Cross, R.A. DeMey,J. and Small, J.V. (1986)

Caldesmon is an elongated, flexible molecule localised in the actomyosin domains of smooth muscle
EMBO J 5 251-257

Cross,R.A. and Sobieszek, A. (1985)
Influence of smooth muscle myosin conformation on myosin light chain kinase binding and on phosphorylation
FEBS Lett. 188 367-374

Cross,R.A. (1984)
Bending of smooth muscle myosin rod
FEBS Lett. 176 197-201

Cross,R.A., Bardsley,R.G, Ledward,D.A. Small, J.V. and Sobieszek,A. (1984)
Conformational stability of the myosin rod
Eur.J. Biochem. 145 305-310

Cross,R.A., Bardsley,R.G, Ledward,D.A. Small, J.V. and Sobieszek,A. (1983)
Reversible helix-coil transition of pig stomach myosin rod

FEBS lett. 162 189-192