The functions of kinesin and kinesin-related proteins in eukaryotes

Abstract

Kinesins constitute a superfamily of ATP-driven microtubule motor enzymes that convert the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into mechanical work along microtubule tracks. Kinesins are found in all eukaryotic organisms and are essential to all eukaryotic cells, involved in diverse cellular functions such as microtubule dynamics and morphogenesis, chromosome segregation, spindle formation and elongation and transport of organelles. In this review, we explore recently reported functions of kinesins in eukaryotes and compare their specific cargoes in both plant and animal kingdoms to understand the possible roles of uncharacterized motors in a kingdom based on their reported functions in other kingdoms.

Keywords: Kinesins; cargoes; cellular organelles; microtubule; motor domain.

Figure 1.

A kinesin walking on a microtubule. (a) A kinesin dimer using their motor domains to move on microtubules. (b) A ribbon diagram of the structure (made by I-TASSER online tool) of the motor domains (MD) and coiled-coil (CC) neck linkers of the Arabidopsis thaliana KCH kinesin.

Figure 2.

The role of kinesins and kinesin-related motors in diverse cellular activities. +ve: plus-end-directed motor, -ve: minus-end-directed motor, presence of superscript number: specific kinesin family (1–13), absence of superscript number: kinesin-14 family, O: orphan group kinesin, kr: kinesin-related proteins, symbol ?: existence of possibility for the similar kind of kinesins in the partner kingdom (plant or animal) which needs to be determined.