Kevin Rhine

Kevin Rhine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. His lab researches how aging – which is one of the most prevalent risk factors for disease – contributes to the onset of neurodegenerative disorders like ALS, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. The lab also focuses on how RNA and RNA-binding proteins change throughout neuronal aging, leading to runaway protein aggregation, loss-of-function in key RNA pathways, and the accumulation of aberrant RNA molecules.

Dr. Rhine’s research has been published in Molecular Cell and Nature Neuroscience, and he has been supported by the ALS Association, Hops for Hope, and the National Institutes of Health. 

Areas of Research:

RNA biology
Phase separation
Protein aggregation
Aging
Neurodegeneration
Genomics
Microscopy and live-cell imaging
 

Selected Publications:

1. Rhine, K., Epstein, E., Carlson, N., Ge, X., Mizrahi, O., Kamat, A., Hermann, A., Brothers, W.R., Ravits, J., Bennett, E.J., Pekkurnaz, G., Yeo, G.W. Neuronal aging leads to the accumulation of stress-inducing double-stranded RNA. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2025.08.04.668575. Epub 2025 Aug 5.
2. Rhine, K., Li, R., Kopalle, H.M., Rothamel, K., Ge, X., Epstein, E., Mizrahi, O., Madrigal, A.A., Gomberg, T.A., Hermann, A., Schwartz, J.L., Daniels, A.J., Manor, U., Ravits, J., Signer, R.A.J., Bennett, E.J., Yeo, G.W. Aging-linked deterioration of RNA metabolism destabilizes the stress response of neurons. Nature Neurosci, 2025 Jun;28(6):1174-1184. doi: 10.1038/s41593-025-01952-z. Epub 2025 Jun 2.
3. Rhine, K.*, Dasovich, M.*, Yoniles, J.*, Badiee, M., Skanchy, S., Ganser, L., Fare, C.M., Shorter, J., Leung, A.K.L, Myong, S. Poly(ADP-ribose) drives condensation of FUS via a transient interaction. Mol Cell, 2022 Mar 3;82(5):969-985.e11.
4. Rhine, K., Makurath, M.A., Liu, J., Lopez, C., Catalan, K.F., Skanchy, S., Fare, C.M., Shorter, J., Ma, Y., Ha, T., Chemla, Y.R., Myong, S. ALS/FTLD-Linked Mutations in FUS Glycine Residues Cause Accelerated Gelation and Reduced Interactions with Wild-Type FUS. Mol Cell, 2020 Oct 27;S1097-2765(20)30721-8.
5. Rhine, K., Vidaurre, V., Myong, S. RNA Droplets. Ann Rev Biophys, 2020 May 6;49:247-265.