William Hancock
Professor of Bioengineering
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430 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
University Park, PA - woh1@psu.edu
- 814-863-0492
Research Summary
The detailed workings of motor proteins and their role in intracellular transport and cell motility.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
Most Recent Publications
Cargo adaptor identity controls the mechanism and kinetics of dynein activation[Figure presented]
J Gillies, S Little, A Siva, William Hancock, M DeSantis, 2025, Journal of Biological Chemistry on p. 108358
DNA tensiometer reveals catch-bond detachment kinetics of kinesin-1, -2 and -3.
C Noell, T Ma, R Jiang, S McKinley, William Hancock, 2024, bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
Measuring PETase enzyme kinetics by single-molecule microscopy
Yuwei Zhang, William O. Hancock, 2024, Biophysical Journal on p. 3669-3677
Motor Clustering Enhances Kinesin-driven Vesicle Transport.
R Jiang, Q Feng, D Nong, Y Kang, D Sept, William Hancock, 2024, bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
Xylan inhibition of cellulase binding and processivity observed at single-molecule resolution
Nerya Zexer, Alec Paradiso, Daguan Nong, Zachary K. Haviland, William O. Hancock, Charles T. Anderson, 2024, RSC Sustainability on p. 1118-1127
Interface-acting nucleotide controls polymerization dynamics at microtubule plus- and minus-ends
Luke M. Rice, Lauren A. McCormick, Joseph M. Cleary, William O. Hancock, 2024, eLife
Single-molecule tracking reveals dual front door/back door inhibition of Cel7A cellulase by its product cellobiose
D Nong, Zachary Haviland, Nerya Zexer, Sarah Pfaff, Daniel Cosgrove, M Tien, Charles Anderson, William O. Hancock, 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. e2322567121
Lignin impairs Cel7A degradation of in vitro lignified cellulose by impeding enzyme movement and not by acting as a sink
Zachary Haviland, D Nong, Nerya Zexer, M Tien, Charles Anderson, William O. Hancock, 2024, Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts on p. 7
Simulations suggest robust microtubule attachment of kinesin and dynein in antagonistic pairs
Tzu Chen Ma, Allison M. Gicking, Qingzhou Feng, William O. Hancock, 2023, Biophysical Journal on p. 3299-3313
Positive charge in the K-loop of the kinesin-3 motor KIF1A regulates superprocessivity by enhancing microtubule affinity in the one-head–bound state
Taylor M. Zaniewski, William O. Hancock, 2023, Journal of Biological Chemistry
Most-Cited Papers
Examining kinesin processivity within a general gating framework
Johan O.L. Andreasson, Bojan Milic, Geng Yuan Chen, Nicholas R. Guydosh, William O. Hancock, Steven M. Block, 2015, eLife on p. 1-44
Kinetics of nucleotide-dependent structural transitions in the kinesin-1 hydrolysis cycle
Keith J. Mickolajczyk, Nathan C. Deffenbaugh, Jaime Ortega Arroyo, Joanna Andrecka, Philipp Kukura, William O. Hancock, 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E7186-E7193
Kinesin-5 is a microtubule polymerase
Yalei Chen, William O. Hancock, 2015, Nature Communications
The Kinesin-1 Chemomechanical Cycle: Stepping Toward a Consensus
William O. Hancock, 2016, Biophysical Journal on p. 1216-1225
The mechanochemical cycle of mammalian kinesin-2 KIF3A/B under load
Johan O.L. Andreasson, Shankar Shastry, William O. Hancock, Steven M. Block, 2015, Current Biology on p. 1166-1175
A Tubulin Binding Switch Underlies Kip3/Kinesin-8 Depolymerase Activity
Hugo Arellano-Santoyo, Elisabeth A. Geyer, Ema Stokasimov, Geng Yuan Chen, Xiaolei Su, William Hancock, Luke M. Rice, David Pellman, 2017, Developmental Cell on p. 37-51.e8
Direct observation of individual tubulin dimers binding to growing microtubules
Keith J. Mickolajczyk, Elisabeth A. Geyer, Tae Kim, Luke M. Rice, William O. Hancock, 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 7314-7322
Motor Reattachment Kinetics Play a Dominant Role in Multimotor-Driven Cargo Transport
Qingzhou Feng, Keith J. Mickolajczyk, Geng Yuan Chen, William O. Hancock, 2018, Biophysical Journal on p. 400-409
Kinesin Processivity Is Determined by a Kinetic Race from a Vulnerable One-Head-Bound State
Keith J. Mickolajczyk, William O. Hancock, 2017, Biophysical Journal on p. 2615-2623
Molecular mechanisms underlying microtubule growth dynamics
Joseph M. Cleary, William O. Hancock, 2021, Current Biology on p. R560-R573
News Articles Featuring William Hancock
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
Sep 11, 2024
Three projects receive Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed Fund grants
Three potentially high-impact, high-risk research projects have been selected to receive seed funding for the latest round of the Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed (HITS) Fund initiative.
Full Article
Apr 11, 2023
Study on how neurons move offers new insight into neurodegenerative diseases
Neurons, which are responsible for producing the signals that ultimately trigger an action like talking or moving a muscle, are built and maintained by classes of motor proteins that transport molecular cargo along elongated tracks called microtubules.
Full Article
Apr 11, 2019
New SCATTIRSTORM microscope could improve bioenergy production
The construction of a new multimodal optical microscope, SCATTIRSTORM, that could enable more efficient bioenergy production, is the focus of a three-year, $1.5 million, U.S. Department of Energy grant awarded to three Penn State researchers.
Full Article