Ruobo Zhou
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
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305 Chemistry
University Park, PA - rkz5110@psu.edu
Research Summary
Quantitatively and functionally understanding the compartmentalization and spatiotemporal organization of protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions involved in fundamental cell functions as well as in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
- Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences
- Integrative and Biomedical Physiology
- Center for Cellular Dynamics
- Bioinformatics and Genomics
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience Institute
Links
Most Recent Publications
Watching biomolecules stride in real time
Jinyu Fei, Ruobo Zhou, 2023, Science on p. 986-987
Proteomic and functional analyses of the periodic membrane skeleton in neurons
Ruobo Zhou, Boran Han, Roberta Nowak, Yunzhe Lu, Evan Heller, Chenglong Xia, Athar Chishti, Velia Fowler, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2022, Nature Communications
Membrane-associated periodic skeleton is a signaling platform for RTK transactivation in neurons
Ruobo Zhou, Boran Han, Chenglong Xia, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2019, Science on p. 929-934
βiI-spectrin promotes mouse brain connectivity through stabilizing axonal plasma membranes and enabling axonal organelle transport
Damaris N. Lorenzo, Alexandra Badea, Ruobo Zhou, Peter J. Mohler, Xiaowei Zhuang, Vann Bennett, 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 15686-15695
Junction resolving enzymes use multivalency to keep the Holliday junction dynamic
Ruobo Zhou, Olivia Yang, Anne Cécile Déclais, Hyeonseok Jin, Gwang Hyeon Gwon, Alasdair D.J. Freeman, Yunje Cho, David M.J. Lilley, Taekjip Ha, 2019, Nature Chemical Biology on p. 269-275
Visualizing and discovering cellular structures with super-resolution microscopy
Yaron M. Sigal, Ruobo Zhou, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2018, Science on p. 880-887
Structural organization of the actin-spectrin–based membrane skeleton in dendrites and soma of neurons
Boran Han, Ruobo Zhou, Chenglong Xia, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2017, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E6678-E6685
Prevalent presence of periodic actin-spectrin-based membrane skeleton in a broad range of neuronal cell types and animal species
Jiang He, Ruobo Zhou, Zhuhao Wu, Monica A. Carrasco, Peri T. Kurshan, Jonathan E. Farley, David J. Simon, Guiping Wang, Boran Han, Junjie Hao, Evan Heller, Marc R. Freeman, Kang Shen, Tom Maniatis, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 6029-6034
Real-Time Imaging of Translation on Single mRNA Transcripts in Live Cells
Chong Wang, Boran Han, Ruobo Zhou, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2016, Cell on p. 990-1001
Spider Silk Peptide Is a Compact, Linear Nanospring Ideal for Intracellular Tension Sensing
Michael D. Brenner, Ruobo Zhou, Daniel E. Conway, Luca Lanzano, Enrico Gratton, Martin A. Schwartz, Taekjip Ha, 2016, Nano Letters on p. 2096-2102
Most-Cited Papers
Visualizing and discovering cellular structures with super-resolution microscopy
Yaron M. Sigal, Ruobo Zhou, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2018, Science on p. 880-887
Real-Time Imaging of Translation on Single mRNA Transcripts in Live Cells
Chong Wang, Boran Han, Ruobo Zhou, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2016, Cell on p. 990-1001
Asymmetric unwrapping of nucleosomes under tension directed by DNA local flexibility
Thuy T.M. Ngo, Qiucen Zhang, Ruobo Zhou, Jaya G. Yodh, Taekjip Ha, 2015, Cell on p. 1135-1144
Prevalent presence of periodic actin-spectrin-based membrane skeleton in a broad range of neuronal cell types and animal species
Jiang He, Ruobo Zhou, Zhuhao Wu, Monica A. Carrasco, Peri T. Kurshan, Jonathan E. Farley, David J. Simon, Guiping Wang, Boran Han, Junjie Hao, Evan Heller, Marc R. Freeman, Kang Shen, Tom Maniatis, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 6029-6034
Structural organization of the actin-spectrin–based membrane skeleton in dendrites and soma of neurons
Boran Han, Ruobo Zhou, Chenglong Xia, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2017, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E6678-E6685
Membrane-associated periodic skeleton is a signaling platform for RTK transactivation in neurons
Ruobo Zhou, Boran Han, Chenglong Xia, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2019, Science on p. 929-934
Spider Silk Peptide Is a Compact, Linear Nanospring Ideal for Intracellular Tension Sensing
Michael D. Brenner, Ruobo Zhou, Daniel E. Conway, Luca Lanzano, Enrico Gratton, Martin A. Schwartz, Taekjip Ha, 2016, Nano Letters on p. 2096-2102
βiI-spectrin promotes mouse brain connectivity through stabilizing axonal plasma membranes and enabling axonal organelle transport
Damaris N. Lorenzo, Alexandra Badea, Ruobo Zhou, Peter J. Mohler, Xiaowei Zhuang, Vann Bennett, 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 15686-15695
Junction resolving enzymes use multivalency to keep the Holliday junction dynamic
Ruobo Zhou, Olivia Yang, Anne Cécile Déclais, Hyeonseok Jin, Gwang Hyeon Gwon, Alasdair D.J. Freeman, Yunje Cho, David M.J. Lilley, Taekjip Ha, 2019, Nature Chemical Biology on p. 269-275
Proteomic and functional analyses of the periodic membrane skeleton in neurons
Ruobo Zhou, Boran Han, Roberta Nowak, Yunzhe Lu, Evan Heller, Chenglong Xia, Athar Chishti, Velia Fowler, Xiaowei Zhuang, 2022, Nature Communications
News Articles Featuring Ruobo Zhou
Feb 11, 2026
Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s
Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them — signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces — in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep. New research by Penn State scientists has revealed this vital process may be governed by a previously unknown molecular gatekeeper: a lattice‑like structure just beneath the surface of neurons called the membrane‑associated periodic skeleton.
Full Article
Jul 15, 2025
Optical tweezers help elevate single-molecule research at Penn State
The instrument, supported by a new NIH infrastructure grant, uses laser light to ‘tweeze’ tiny objects like DNA molecules and proteins.
Full Article