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#kinesin

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Cytoskeleton

Kinesin-13 differs from other kinesins because it:

Kinesin superfamily generally couples ATP hydrolysis to processive stepping for cargo transport using hand over hand mechanism but kinesin-13 family including mitotic centromere associated kinesin MCAK KIF2C and KIF2A exhibits depolymerase activity instead of transport. These kinesins possess central motor domain flanked by N and C termini diffuse along microtubule lattice without directional ATP dependent stepping and concentrate at ends via one dimensional diffusion to both tips. At tip they stabilize curved protofilament conformation accelerating removal of tubulin subunits and inducing cat

Ref: Walczak et al., Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol – Kinesin-13 depolymerase activity mechanism classification.

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Cytoskeleton

Which motor protein moves cargo towards the (+) end of microtubules?

Long distance intracellular transport along microtubules employs directional motors whose motor domains read polarity via asymmetric binding and neck linker orientation. Majority of kinesin superfamily members possess N terminal motor domains that exhibit plus end directed motility via neck linker docking mechanism: ATP binding induces neck linker zippering toward plus end swinging trailing head forward 8 nm. Kinesin-1 KIF5B exemplifies conventional plus motor ferrying mitochondria synaptic vesicle precursors lysosomes and mRNP anterogradely toward cell periphery or axon terminals at about 1 m

Ref: Vale, Cell 2003 – Kinesin family plus end motility; Alberts Chapter 16 Kinesin-1 transport role.

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