Novel heterotrimeric kinesin-related protein purified from sea urchin eggs

Brefeldin A-dependent membrane tubule formation reconstituted in vitro is driven by a cell cycle-regulated microtubule motor

Treatment of cultured cells with brefeldin A (BFA) induces the formation of extensive membrane tubules from the Golgi apparatus, trans-Golgi network, and early endosomes in a microtubule-dependent manner. We have reconstituted this transport process in vitro using Xenopus egg cytosol and a rat liver Golgi-enriched membrane fraction. The presence of BFA results in the formation of an intricate, interconnected tubular membrane network, a process that, as in vivo, is inhibited by nocodazole, the H1 anti-kinesin monoclonal antibody, and by membrane pretreatment with guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). Surprisingly, membrane tubule formation is not due to the action of conventional kinesin or any of the other motors implicated in Golgi membrane dynamics. Two candidate motors of approximately 100 and approximately 130 kDa have been identified using the H1 antibody, both of which exhibit motor properties in a biochemical assay. Finally, BFA-induced membrane tubule formation does not occur in metaphase cytosol, and because membrane binding of both candidate motors is not altered after incubation in metaphase compared with interphase cytosol, these results suggest that either the ATPase or microtubule-binding activity of the relevant motor is cell cycle regulated.

The road less traveled: emerging principles of kinesin motor utilization

Proteins of the kinesin superfamily utilize a conserved catalytic motor domain to generate movements in a wide variety of cellular processes. In this review, we discuss the rapid expansion in our understanding of how eukaryotic cells take advantage of these proteins to generate force and movement in diverse functional contexts. We summarize several recent examples revealing that the simplest view of a kinesin motor protein binding to and translocating a cargo along a microtubule track is inadequate. In fact, this paradigm captures only a small subset of the many ways in which cells harness force production of the generation of intracellular movements and functions. We also highlight several situations where the catalytic kinesin motor domain may not be used to generate movement, but instead may be used in other biochemical and functional contexts. Finally, we review some recent ideas about kinesin motor regulation, redundancy, and cargo attachment strategies.

Identification of kinesin-C, a calmodulin-binding carboxy-terminal kinesin in animal (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) cells

Several novel members of the kinesin superfamily, until now identified only in plants, are unique in their ability to bind calmodulin in the presence of Ca(2+). Here, we identify the first such kinesin in an animal system. Sequence analysis of this new motor, called kinesin-C, predicts that it is a large carboxy-terminal kinesin, 1624 amino acid residues in length, with a predicted molecular mass of 181 kDa. Kinesin-C is predicted to contain a kinesin motor domain at its carboxy terminus, linked to a segment of alpha-helical coiled-coil 950 amino acid residues long, ending with an amino-terminal proline-rich tail domain. A putative calmodulin-binding domain resides at the extreme carboxy terminus of the motor polypeptide, and recombinant kinesin-C binds to a calmodulin-affinity column in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion. The presence of this novel calmodulin-binding motor in sea urchin embryos suggests that it plays a critical role in Ca(2+)-dependent events during early sea urchin development.

Photoreceptor localization of the KIF3A and KIF3B subunits of the heterotrimeric microtubule motor kinesin II in vertebrate retina

The heterotrimeric microtubule motor kinesin II has been shown to be required for morphogenesis and maintenance of both motile flagella and immotile sensory cilia. Recently, we showed that the KIF3A subunit of kinesin II is concentrated in the inner segment and connecting cilium of fish photoreceptors. Here we report the gene structure of human KIF3A (HsKIF3A) and describe its localization in human and monkey retina. We also describe the localization of both KIF3A and KIF3B kinesin II subunits in Xenopus retina. Using a portion of HsKIF3A we had amplified from adult human retinal cDNA, we found by a GenBank database search that an identical sequence had already been obtained by the Human Genome Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories in a direct sequencing analysis of 680 kb of human chromosome 5q31. By comparing the genomic sequence of HsKIF3A to the open reading frame (ORF) of the highly homologous mouse Kif3A, we determined that the HsKIF3A gene has 17 exons and an ORF of approximately 2.1 kb, predicting a protein of 80.3 kDa. Antibodies against sea urchin KRP85, a KIF3A homologue, bound to a single band of approximately 85 kDa in immunoblots of total retina protein from human, monkey and Xenopus. In these same samples, a single band of approximately 95 kDa is recognized by antibodies against Xklp3, a Xenopus KIF3B homologue. In sections of Xenopus retina, both antibodies strongly labelled photoreceptor inner segments and the outer limiting membrane. Both antibodies also labelled photoreceptor axonemes. The axonemal localization of kinesin II subunits suggests that kinesin II may play a role in transport of materials from the photoreceptor cell body to the outer segment.

Kinesin-II is required for axonal transport of choline acetyltransferase in Drosophila

KLP64D and KLP68D are members of the kinesin-II family of proteins in Drosophila. Immunostaining for KLP68D and ribonucleic acid in situ hybridization for KLP64D demonstrated their preferential expression in cholinergic neurons. KLP68D was also found to accumulate in cholinergic neurons in axonal obstructions caused by the loss of kinesin light chain. Mutations in the KLP64D gene cause uncoordinated sluggish movement and death, and reduce transport of choline acetyltransferase from cell bodies to the synapse. The inviability of KLP64D mutations can be rescued by expression of mammalian KIF3A. Together, these data suggest that kinesin-II is required for the axonal transport of a soluble enzyme, choline acetyltransferase, in a specific subset of neurons in Drosophila. Furthermore, the data lead to the conclusion that the cargo transport requirements of different classes of neurons may lead to upregulation of specific pathways of axonal transport.

Role of a class DHC1b dynein in retrograde transport of IFT motors and IFT raft particles along cilia, but not dendrites, in chemosensory neurons of living Caenorhabditis elegans

The heterotrimeric motor protein, kinesin-II, and its presumptive cargo, can be observed moving anterogradely at 0.7 microm/s by intraflagellar transport (IFT) within sensory cilia of chemosensory neurons of living Caenorhabditis elegans, using a fluorescence microscope-based transport assay (Orozco, J.T., K.P. Wedaman, D. Signor, H. Brown, L. Rose, and J.M. Scholey. 1999. Nature. 398:674). Here, we report that kinesin-II, and two of its presumptive cargo molecules, OSM-1 and OSM-6, all move at approximately 1.1 microm/s in the retrograde direction along cilia and dendrites, which is consistent with the hypothesis that these proteins are retrieved from the distal endings of the cilia by a retrograde transport pathway that moves them along cilia and then dendrites, back to the neuronal cell body. To test the hypothesis that the minus end-directed microtubule motor protein, cytoplasmic dynein, drives this retrograde transport pathway, we visualized movement of kinesin-II and its cargo along dendrites and cilia in a che-3 cytoplasmic dynein mutant background, and observed an inhibition of retrograde transport in cilia but not in dendrites. In contrast, anterograde IFT proceeds normally in che-3 mutants. Thus, we propose that the class DHC1b cytoplasmic dynein, CHE-3, is specifically responsible for the retrograde transport of the anterograde motor, kinesin-II, and its cargo within sensory cilia, but not within dendrites.

Kinesin-II is preferentially targeted to assembling cilia and is required for ciliogenesis and normal cytokinesis in Tetrahymena

We cloned two genes, KIN1 and KIN2, encoding kinesin-II homologues from the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila and constructed strains lacking either KIN1 or KIN2 or both genes. Cells with a single disruption of either gene showed partly overlapping sets of defects in cell growth, motility, ciliary assembly, and thermoresistance. Deletion of both genes resulted in loss of cilia and arrests in cytokinesis. Mutant cells were unable to assemble new cilia or to maintain preexisting cilia. Double knockout cells were not viable on a standard medium but could be grown on a modified medium on which growth does not depend on phagocytosis. Double knockout cells could be rescued by transformation with a gene encoding an epitope-tagged Kin1p. In growing cells, epitope-tagged Kin1p preferentially accumulated in cilia undergoing active assembly. Kin1p was also detected in the cell body but did not show any association with the cleavage furrow. The cell division arrests observed in kinesin-II knockout cells appear to be induced by the loss of cilia and resulting cell paralysis.

Regulation of melanosome movement in the cell cycle by reversible association with myosin V

Previously, we have shown that melanosomes of Xenopus laevis melanophores are transported along both microtubules and actin filaments in a coordinated manner, and that myosin V is bound to purified melanosomes (Rogers, S., and V.I. Gelfand. 1998. Curr. Biol. 8:161-164). In the present study, we have demonstrated that myosin V is the actin-based motor responsible for melanosome transport. To examine whether myosin V was regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner, purified melanosomes were treated with interphase- or metaphase-arrested Xenopus egg extracts and assayed for in vitro motility along Nitella actin filaments. Motility of organelles treated with mitotic extract was found to decrease dramatically, as compared with untreated or interphase extract-treated melanosomes. This mitotic inhibition of motility correlated with the dissociation of myosin V from melanosomes, but the activity of soluble motor remained unaffected. Furthermore, we find that myosin V heavy chain is highly phosphorylated in metaphase extracts versus interphase extracts. We conclude that organelle transport by myosin V is controlled by a cell cycle-regulated association of this motor to organelles, and that this binding is likely regulated by phosphorylation of myosin V during mitosis.

Left-right asymmetry and kinesin superfamily protein KIF3A: new insights in determination of laterality and mesoderm induction by kif3A-/- mice analysis

KIF3A is a classical member of the kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs), ubiquitously expressed although predominantly in neural tissues, and which forms a heterotrimeric KIF3 complex with KIF3B or KIF3C and an associated protein, KAP3. To elucidate the function of the kif3A gene in vivo, we made kif3A knockout mice. kif3A-/- embryos displayed severe developmental abnormalities characterized by neural tube degeneration and mesodermal and caudal dysgenesis and died during the midgestational period at approximately 10.5 dpc (days post coitum), possibly resulting from cardiovascular insufficiency. Whole mount in situ hybridization of Pax6 revealed a normal pattern while staining by sonic hedgehog (shh) and Brachyury (T) exhibited abnormal patterns in the anterior-posterior (A-P) direction at both mesencephalic and thoracic levels. These results suggest that KIF3A might be involved in mesodermal patterning and in turn neurogenesis.

Situs inversus and embryonic ciliary morphogenesis defects in mouse mutants lacking the KIF3A subunit of kinesin-II

The embryonic cellular events that set the asymmetry of the genetic control circuit controlling left-right (L-R) axis determination in mammals are poorly understood. New insight into this problem was obtained by analyzing mouse mutants lacking the KIF3A motor subunit of the kinesin-II motor complex. Embryos lacking KIF3A die at 10 days postcoitum, exhibit randomized establishment of L-R asymmetry, and display numerous structural abnormalities. The earliest detectable abnormality in KIF3A mutant embryos is found at day 7.5, where scanning electron microscopy reveals loss of cilia ordinarily present on cells of the wild-type embryonic node, which is thought to play an important role in setting the initial L-R asymmetry. This cellular phenotype is observed before the earliest reported time of asymmetric expression of markers of the L-R signaling pathway. These observations demonstrate that the kinesin-based transport pathway needed for flagellar and ciliary morphogenesis is conserved from Chlamydomonas to mammals and support the view that embryonic cilia play a role in the earliest cellular determinative events establishing L-R asymmetry.

Differential regulation of the Kar3p kinesin-related protein by two associated proteins, Cik1p and Vik1p

The mechanisms by which kinesin-related proteins interact with other proteins to carry out specific cellular processes is poorly understood. The kinesin-related protein, Kar3p, has been implicated in many microtubule functions in yeast. Some of these functions require interaction with the Cik1 protein (Page, B.D., L.L. Satterwhite, M.D. Rose, and M. Snyder. 1994. J. Cell Biol. 124:507-519). We have identified a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene, named VIK1, encoding a protein with sequence and structural similarity to Cik1p. The Vik1 protein is detected in vegetatively growing cells but not in mating pheromone-treated cells. Vik1p physically associates with Kar3p in a complex separate from that of the Kar3p-Cik1p complex. Vik1p localizes to the spindle-pole body region in a Kar3p-dependent manner. Reciprocally, concentration of Kar3p at the spindle poles during vegetative growth requires the presence of Vik1p, but not Cik1p. Phenotypic analysis suggests that Cik1p and Vik1p are involved in different Kar3p functions. Disruption of VIK1 causes increased resistance to the microtubule depolymerizing drug benomyl and partially suppresses growth defects of cik1Delta mutants. The vik1Delta and kar3Delta mutations, but not cik1Delta, partially suppresses the temperature-sensitive growth defect of strains lacking the function of two other yeast kinesin-related proteins, Cin8p and Kip1p. Our results indicate that Kar3p forms functionally distinct complexes with Cik1p and Vik1p to participate in different microtubule-mediated events within the same cell.

Cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain 1b is required for flagellar assembly in Chlamydomonas

A second cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (cDhc) has recently been identified in several organisms, and its expression pattern is consistent with a possible role in axoneme assembly. We have used a genetic approach to ask whether cDhc1b is involved in flagellar assembly in Chlamydomonas. Using a modified PCR protocol, we recovered two cDhc sequences distinct from the axonemal Dhc sequences identified previously. cDhc1a is closely related to the major cytoplasmic Dhc, whereas cDhc1b is closely related to the minor cDhc isoform identified in sea urchins, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Tetrahymena. The Chlamydomonas cDhc1b transcript is a low-abundance mRNA whose expression is enhanced by deflagellation. To determine its role in flagellar assembly, we screened a collection of stumpy flagellar (stf) mutants generated by insertional mutagenesis and identified two strains in which portions of the cDhc1b gene have been deleted. The two mutants assemble short flagellar stumps (<1-2 micrometer) filled with aberrant microtubules, raft-like particles, and other amorphous material. The results indicate that cDhc1b is involved in the transport of components required for flagellar assembly in Chlamydomonas.

The kinesin motor KIF3A is a component of the presynaptic ribbon in vertebrate photoreceptors

Kinesin motors are presumed to transport various membrane compartments within neurons, but their specific in vivo functions, cargoes, and expression patterns in the brain are unclear. We have investigated the distribution of KIF3A, a member of the heteromeric family of kinesins, in the vertebrate retina. We find KIF3A at two distinct sites within photoreceptors: at the basal body of the connecting cilium axoneme and at the synaptic ribbon. Immunoelectron microscopy of the photoreceptor ribbon synapse shows KIF3A to be concentrated both at the ribbon matrix and on vesicles docked at the ribbon, a result that is consistent with the presence of both detergent-extractable and resistant KIF3A fractions at these synapses. KIF3A is also present in the inner plexiform layer, again at presynaptic ribbons. These findings suggest that within a single cell, the photoreceptor, one kinesin polypeptide, KIF3A, can serve two distinct functions, one specific for ribbon synapses.

Two heteromeric kinesin complexes in chemosensory neurons and sensory cilia of Caenorhabditis elegans

Chemosensation in the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans depends on sensory cilia, whose assembly and maintenance requires the transport of components such as axonemal proteins and signal transduction machinery to their site of incorporation into ciliary structures. Members of the heteromeric kinesin family of microtubule motors are prime candidates for playing key roles in these transport events. Here we describe the molecular characterization and partial purification of two heteromeric kinesin complexes from C. elegans, heterotrimeric CeKinesin-II and dimeric CeOsm-3. Transgenic worms expressing green fluorescent protein driven by endogenous heteromeric kinesin promoters reveal that both CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 are expressed in amphid, inner labial, and phasmid chemosensory neurons. Additionally, immunolocalization experiments on fixed worms show an intense concentration of CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 polypeptides in the ciliated endings of these chemosensory neurons and a punctate localization pattern in the corresponding cell bodies and dendrites. These results, together with the phenotypes of known mutants in the pathway of sensory ciliary assembly, suggest that CeKinesin-II and CeOsm-3 drive the transport of ciliary components required for sequential steps in the assembly of chemosensory cilia.

Role of xklp3, a subunit of the Xenopus kinesin II heterotrimeric complex, in membrane transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus

The function of the Golgi apparatus is to modify proteins and lipids synthesized in the ER and sort them to their final destination. The steady-state size and function of the Golgi apparatus is maintained through the recycling of some components back to the ER. Several lines of evidence indicate that the spatial segregation between the ER and the Golgi apparatus as well as trafficking between these two compartments require both microtubules and motors. We have cloned and characterized a new Xenopus kinesin like protein, Xklp3, a subunit of the heterotrimeric Kinesin II. By immunofluorescence it is found in the Golgi region. A more detailed analysis by EM shows that it is associated with a subset of membranes that contain the KDEL receptor and are localized between the ER and Golgi apparatus. An association of Xklp3 with the recycling compartment is further supported by a biochemical analysis and the behavior of Xklp3 in BFA-treated cells. The function of Xklp3 was analyzed by transfecting cells with a dominant-negative form lacking the motor domain. In these cells, the normal delivery of newly synthesized proteins to the Golgi apparatus is blocked. Taken together, these results indicate that Xklp3 is involved in the transport of tubular-vesicular elements between the ER and the Golgi apparatus.

Heterotrimeric kinesin II is the microtubule motor protein responsible for pigment dispersion in Xenopus melanophores

Melanophores move pigment organelles (melanosomes) from the cell center to the periphery and vice-versa. These bidirectional movements require cytoplasmic microtubules and microfilaments and depend on the function of microtubule motors and a myosin. Earlier we found that melanosomes purified from Xenopus melanophores contain the plus end microtubule motor kinesin II, indicating that it may be involved in dispersion (Rogers, S.L., I.S. Tint, P.C. Fanapour, and V.I. Gelfand. 1997. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 94: 3720-3725). Here, we generated a dominant-negative construct encoding green fluorescent protein fused to the stalk-tail region of Xenopus kinesin-like protein 3 (Xklp3), the 95-kD motor subunit of Xenopus kinesin II, and introduced it into melanophores. Overexpression of the fusion protein inhibited pigment dispersion but had no effect on aggregation. To control for the specificity of this effect, we studied the kinesin-dependent movement of lysosomes. Neither dispersion of lysosomes in acidic conditions nor their clustering under alkaline conditions was affected by the mutant Xklp3. Furthermore, microinjection of melanophores with SUK4, a function-blocking kinesin antibody, inhibited dispersion of lysosomes but had no effect on melanosome transport. We conclude that melanosome dispersion is powered by kinesin II and not by conventional kinesin. This paper demonstrates that kinesin II moves membrane-bound organelles.

Purification of novel kinesins from embryonic systems

Several kinesin holoenzymes, including the heterotrimeric kinesin-II and bipolar KLP61F complexes described here, are being purified in our laboratory using microtubule affinity precipitation and conventional biochemical fractionation procedures. These protocols have been optimized by using pan-kinesin peptide antibodies and subunit-specific antibodies to monitor the enrichment of kinesin-related polypeptides in particular fractions by immunoblotting. Protein purification represents the most direct route available for determining the oligomeric state and subunit composition of a kinesin holoenzyme, for identifying tightly associated accessory subunits such as SpKAP115, and for determining the molecular architecture and functional properties of native kinesin motors. Protein purification methods therefore represent an important complementary approach to molecular genetic approaches that are being pursued in many other laboratories.

Identification of kinesin-like molecules in myogenic cells

Numerous organelles are repositioned during myogenic differentiation and are maintained in an asymmetric distribution throughout the life span of a myotube. It is likely that members of the kinesin superfamily may be responsible for some or all of these microtubule-dependent movements. Consequently, we have attempted to identify kinesin-like molecules expressed throughout myogenesis. Using a standard PCR-based strategy, we cloned two kinesin-like molecules from a rat myogenic cell line, L6. Sequence analysis of the first of these, KIF3C, defines it as a novel member of the KIF3 subfamily of kinesin-like proteins. KIF3C is expressed throughout myogenesis as well as in numerous rat tissues. Like other members of the KIF3 subfamily, KIF3C has an N-terminal motor domain. The second molecule identified is a rat homolog of murine KIF1B, a putative mitochondrial transporter. KIF1B is also expressed ubiquitously both in myogenic cells at all stages and in a variety of rat tissues.

Regulation of organelle movement in melanophores by protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)

We used melanophores, cells specialized for regulated organelle transport, to study signaling pathways involved in the regulation of transport. We transfected immortalized Xenopus melanophores with plasmids encoding epitope-tagged inhibitors of protein phosphatases and protein kinases or control plasmids encoding inactive analogues of these inhibitors. Expression of a recombinant inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA) results in spontaneous pigment aggregation. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), a stimulus which increases intracellular cAMP, cannot disperse pigment in these cells. However, melanosomes in these cells can be partially dispersed by PMA, an activator of protein kinase C (PKC). When a recombinant inhibitor of PKC is expressed in melanophores, PMA-induced pigment dispersion is inhibited, but not dispersion induced by MSH. We conclude that PKA and PKC activate two different pathways for melanosome dispersion. When melanophores express the small t antigen of SV-40 virus, a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), aggregation is completely prevented. Conversely, overexpression of PP2A inhibits pigment dispersion by MSH. Inhibitors of protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B) do not affect pigment movement. Therefore, melanosome aggregation is mediated by PP2A.

Chlamydomonas kinesin-II-dependent intraflagellar transport (IFT): IFT particles contain proteins required for ciliary assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons

We previously described a kinesin-dependent movement of particles in the flagella of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii called intraflagellar transport (IFT) (Kozminski, K.G., K.A. Johnson, P. Forscher, and J.L. Rosenbaum. 1993. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 90:5519-5523). When IFT is inhibited by inactivation of a kinesin, FLA10, in the temperature-sensitive mutant, fla10, existing flagella resorb and new flagella cannot be assembled. We report here that: (a) the IFT-associated FLA10 protein is a subunit of a heterotrimeric kinesin; (b) IFT particles are composed of 15 polypeptides comprising two large complexes; (c) the FLA10 kinesin-II and IFT particle polypeptides, in addition to being found in flagella, are highly concentrated around the flagellar basal bodies; and, (d) mutations affecting homologs of two of the IFT particle polypeptides in Caenorhabditis elegans result in defects in the sensory cilia located on the dendritic processes of sensory neurons. In the accompanying report by Pazour, G.J., C.G. Wilkerson, and G.B. Witman (1998. J. Cell Biol. 141:979-992), a Chlamydomonas mutant (fla14) is described in which only the retrograde transport of IFT particles is disrupted, resulting in assembly-defective flagella filled with an excess of IFT particles. This microtubule- dependent transport process, IFT, defined by mutants in both the anterograde (fla10) and retrograde (fla14) transport of isolable particles, is probably essential for the maintenance and assembly of all eukaryotic motile flagella and nonmotile sensory cilia.

KIF3C and KIF3A form a novel neuronal heteromeric kinesin that associates with membrane vesicles

We have cloned from rat brain the cDNA encoding an 89,828-Da kinesin-related polypeptide KIF3C that is enriched in brain, retina, and lung. Immunocytochemistry of hippocampal neurons in culture shows that KIF3C is localized to cell bodies, dendrites, and, in lesser amounts, to axons. In subcellular fractionation experiments, KIF3C cofractionates with a distinct population of membrane vesicles. Native KIF3C binds to microtubules in a kinesin-like, nucleotide-dependent manner. KIF3C is most similar to mouse KIF3B and KIF3A, two closely related kinesins that are normally present as a heteromer. In sucrose density gradients, KIF3C sediments at two distinct densities, suggesting that it may be part of two different multimolecular complexes. Immunoprecipitation experiments show that KIF3C is in part associated with KIF3A, but not with KIF3B. Unlike KIF3B, a significant portion of KIF3C is not associated with KIF3A. Consistent with these biochemical properties, the distribution of KIF3C in the CNS has both similarities and differences compared with KIF3A and KIF3B. These results suggest that KIF3C is a vesicle-associated motor that functions both independently and in association with KIF3A.

Characterization of the KIF3C neural kinesin-like motor from mouse

Proteins of the kinesin superfamily define a class of microtubule-dependent motors that play crucial roles in cell division and intracellular transport. To study the molecular mechanism of axonal transport, a cDNA encoding a new kinesin-like protein called KIF3C was cloned from a mouse brain cDNA library. Sequence and secondary structure analysis revealed that KIF3C is a member of the KIF3 family. In contrast to KIF3A and KIF3B, Northern and Western analysis indicated that KIF3C expression is highly enriched in neural tissues such as brain, spinal cord, and retina. When anti-KIF3C antibodies were used to stain the cerebellum, the strongest signal came from the cell bodies and dendrites of Purkinje cells. In retina, anti-KIF3C mainly stains the ganglion cells. Immunolocalization showed that the KIF3C motor in spinal cord and sciatic nerve is mainly localized in cytoplasm. In spinal cord, the KIF3C staining was punctate; double labeling with anti-giantin and anti-KIF3C showed a clear concentration of the motor protein in the Golgi complex. Staining of ligated sciatic nerves demonstrated that the KIF3C motor accumulated at the proximal side of the ligated nerve, which suggests that KIF3C is an anterograde motor. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that KIF3C and KIF3A, but not KIF3B, were coprecipitated. These data, combined with previous data from other labs, indicate that KIF3C and KIF3B are "variable" subunits that associate with a common KIF3A subunit, but not with each other. Together these results suggest that KIF3 family members combinatorially associate to power anterograde axonal transport.

The design plan of kinesin motors

The kinesin superfamily comprises a large and structurally diverse group of microtubule-based motor proteins that produce a variety of force-generating activities within cells. This review addresses how the structures of kinesin proteins provide clues as to their biological functions and motile properties. We discuss structural features common to all kinesin motors, as well as specialized features that enable subfamilies of related motors to carry out specialized activities. We also discuss how the kinesin motor domain uses chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis to move along microtubules.

Kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins and the mechanism of organelle transport

Cells transport and sort proteins and lipids, after their synthesis, to various destinations at appropriate velocities in membranous organelles and protein complexes. Intracellular transport is thus fundamental to cellular morphogenesis and functioning. Microtubules serve as a rail on which motor proteins, such as kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins, convey their cargoes. This review focuses on the molecular mechanism of organelle transport in cells and describes kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins.

cDNA cloning, genomic organization, and chromosomal localization of a novel human gene that encodes a kinesin-related protein highly similar to mouse Kif3C

We report the cloning and characterization of a novel human kinesin-like gene with strong homology to the mouse kinesin Kif3c. The full-length cDNA contains an open reading frame of 2382 nucleotides encoding a predicted 793 amino acid peptide that includes a 389 amino acid motor domain conserved among other kinesins. PCR and DNA sequence analysis of PAC clones containing the human KIF3C sequence revealed that the gene contains 8 exons. All introns have the conserved GT and AG dinucleotides present at their donor and acceptor sites, respectively. We have localized KIF3C to chromosome band 2p23 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Molecular motors: structural adaptations to cellular functions

Molecular motors are protein machines whose directed movement along cytoskeletal filaments is driven by ATP hydrolysis. Eukaryotic cells contain motors that help to transport organelles to their correct cellular locations and to establish and alter cellular morphology during cell locomotion and division. The best-studied motors, myosin from skeletal muscle and conventional kinesin from brain, are remarkably similar in structure, yet have very different functions. These differences can be understood in terms of the 'duty ratio', the fraction of the time that a motor is attached to its filament. Differences in duty ratio can explain the diversity of structures, speeds and oligomerization states of members of the large kinesin, myosin and dynein families of motors.

Identification, partial characterization, and genetic mapping of kinesin-like protein genes in mouse

Microtubule-dependent motors of the kinesin superfamily have undergone structural and functional diversification during evolution and play crucial roles in cell division and intracellular transport. Degenerate oligonucleotides homologous to highly conserved regions of sequence within the motor domain were used in a polymerase chain reaction to isolate five new members (KIF3C, KIFC2, KIFC3, KIFC4, and KIF22) of the kinesin superfamily from a mouse brain cDNA library. Northern analysis showed that KIF3C and KIFC2 are expressed mainly in neural tissues, that KIFC4 and KIF22 are expressed primarily in proliferative tissues and cell lines, and that KIFC3 is apparently ubiquitous. To elucidate the organization of genes encoding kinesin-like motors in the mouse genome and to explore the potential associations of these genes with classical mouse mutations or human genetic diseases, these new genes as well as genes encoding the previously reported KIF3A and KIF3B motors were mapped to mouse chromosomes by using an interspecific backcross panel of DNAs from The Jackson Laboratory. The data indicate that the gene KIFC4 is present in three copies in the mouse genome on chromosomes 13 (KIFC4A), 10 (KIFC4B), and 17 (KIFC4C). The gene KIF22 is present in two copies on chromosomes 7 (KIF22A) and 1 (KIF22B). The genes KIF3A, KIF3B, KIF3C, KIFC2, and KIFC3 are each single loci and map to chromosomes 11, 2, 12, 15, and 8, respectively.

Heterotrimeric kinesin-II is required for the assembly of motile 9+2 ciliary axonemes on sea urchin embryos

Heterotrimeric kinesin-II is a plus end- directed microtubule (MT) motor protein consisting of distinct heterodimerized motor subunits associated with an accessory subunit. To probe the intracellular transport functions of kinesin-II, we microinjected fertilized sea urchin eggs with an anti-kinesin-II monoclonal antibody, and we observed a dramatic inhibition of ciliogenesis at the blastula stage characterized by the assembly of short, paralyzed, 9+0 ciliary axonemes that lack central pair MTs. Control embryos show no such defect and form swimming blastulae with normal, motile, 9+2 cilia that contain kinesin-II as detected by Western blotting. Injection of anti-kinesin-II into one blastomere of a two-cell embryo leads to the development of chimeric blastulae covered on one side with short, paralyzed cilia, and on the other with normal, beating cilia. We observed a unimodal length distribution of short cilia on anti-kinesin-II-injected embryos corresponding to the first mode of the trimodal distribution of ciliary lengths observed for control embryos. This short mode may represent a default ciliary assembly intermediate. We hypothesize that kinesin-II functions during ciliogenesis to deliver ciliary components that are required for elongation of the assembly intermediate and for formation of stable central pair MTs. Thus, kinesin-II plays a critical role in embryonic development by supporting the maturation of nascent cilia to generate long motile organelles capable of producing the propulsive forces required for swimming and feeding.

The directional preference of kinesin motors is specified by an element outside of the motor catalytic domain

Members of the kinesin superfamily share a similar motor catalytic domain yet move either toward the plus end (e.g., conventional kinesin) or the minus end (e.g., Ncd) of microtubules. The structural features that determine the polarity of movement have remained enigmatic. Here, we show that kinesin's catalytic domain (316 residues) in a dimeric construct (560 residues) can be replaced with the catalytic domain of Ncd and that the resultant motor moves in the kinesin direction. We also demonstrate that this chimera does not move processively over many tubulin subunits, which is similar to Ncd but differs from the highly processive motion of conventional kinesin. These findings reveal that the catalytic domain contributes to motor processivity but does not control the polarity of movement. We propose that a region adjacent to the catalytic domain serves as a mechanical transducer that determines directionality.

Phosphorylation by p34cdc2 protein kinase regulates binding of the kinesin-related motor HsEg5 to the dynactin subunit p150

The kinesin-related motor HsEg5 is essential for centrosome separation, and its association with centrosomes appears to be regulated by phosphorylation of tail residue threonine 927 by the p34(cdc2) protein kinase. To identify proteins able to interact with the tail of HsEg5, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen with a HsEg5 stalk-tail construct as bait. We isolated a cDNA coding for the central, alpha-helical region of human p150(Glued), a prominent component of the dynactin complex. The interaction between HsEg5 and p150(Glued) was enhanced upon activation of p34(CDC28), the budding yeast homolog of p34(cdc2), provided that HsEg5 had a phosphorylatable residue at position 927. Phosphorylation also enhanced the specific binding of p150(Glued) to the tail domain of HsEg5 in vitro, indicating that the two proteins are able to interact directly. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed co-localization of HsEg5 and p150(Glued) during mitosis but not during interphase, consistent with a cell cycle-dependent association between the two proteins. Taken together, these results suggest that HsEg5 and p150(Glued) may interact in mammalian cells in vivo and that p34(cdc2) may regulate this interaction. Furthermore, they imply that the dynactin complex may functionally interact not only with dynein but also with kinesin-related motors.

KLP38B: a mitotic kinesin-related protein that binds PP1

We have identified a new member of the kinesin superfamily in Drosophila, KLP38B (kinesin-like protein at 38B). KLP38B was isolated through its two-hybrid interaction with the catalytic subunit of type 1 serine/threonine phosphoprotein phosphatase (PP1). We demonstrate that recombinant KLP38B and PP1 associate in vitro. This is the first demonstration of direct binding of a kinesin-related protein to a regulatory enzyme. Though most closely related to the Unc-104 subfamily of kinesin-related proteins, KLP38B is expressed only in proliferating cells. KLP38B mutants show cell proliferation defects in many tissues. KLP38B is required for normal chromatin condensation as embryos from KLP38B mutant mothers have undercondensed chromatin at metaphase and anaphase. This is the first time that a kinesin-related protein has been shown to have such a role. Incomplete lethality of a strong KLP38B allele suggests partial redundancy with one or more additional kinesin-related proteins.

Regulated bidirectional motility of melanophore pigment granules along microtubules in vitro

Although many types of membrane-bound organelles rely upon microtubule-based transport for their proper placement within the cytoplasm, the molecular mechanisms that regulate intracellular motility remain largely unknown. To address this problem, we have studied the microtubule-dependent dispersion and aggregation of pigment granules from an immortalized Xenopus melanophore cell line. We have reconstituted pigment granule motility along bovine brain microtubules in vitro using a microscope-based motility assay. Pigment granules, or melanosomes, move along single microtubules bidirectionally; however, analysis of the polarities of this movement shows that melanosomes that have been purified from dispersed cells exhibit mostly plus end-directed motility, while movement of organelles from aggregating cells is biased toward the minus end. Removal of all soluble proteins from the melanosome fractions by density gradient centrifugation does not diminish organelle motility, demonstrating that all the components required for transport have a stable association with the melanosome membranes. Western blotting shows the presence of the plus end-directed motor, kinesin-II, and the minus end-directed motor, cytoplasmic dynein in highly purified melanosomes. Therefore, purified melanosomes retain their ability to move along microtubules as well as their regulated state. Direct biochemical comparison of melanosomes from aggregated and dispersed cells may elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate organelle transport in melanophores.

Heptad breaks in alpha-helical coiled coils: stutters and stammers

The discontinuities found in heptad repeats of alpha-helical coiled-coil proteins have been characterized. A survey of 40 alpha-fibrous proteins reveals that only two classes of heptad breaks are prevalent: the stutter, corresponding to a deletion of three residues, and the newly identified "stammer," corresponding to a deletion of four residues. This restriction on the variety of insertions/deletions encountered gives support to a unifying structural model, where different degrees of supercoiling accommodate the observed breaks. Stutters in the hemagglutinin coiled-coil region have previously been shown to produce an underwinding of the supercoil, and we show here how, in other cases, stammers would lead to overwinding. An analysis of main-chain structure also indicates that the mannose-binding protein, as well as hemagglutinin, contains an underwound coiled-coil region. In contrast to knobs-into-holes packing, these models give rise to non-close-packed cores at the sites of the heptad phase shifts. We suggest that such non-close-packed cores may function to terminate certain coiled-coil regions, and may also account for the flexibility observed in such long alpha-fibrous molecules as myosin. The local underwinding or overwinding caused by these specific breaks in the heptad repeat has a global effect on the structure and can modify both the assembly of the protein and its interaction properties.

Cloning and characterization of KAP3: a novel kinesin superfamily-associated protein of KIF3A/3B

We previously reported that KIF3A and KIF3B form a heterodimer that functions as a microtubule-based fast anterograde translocator of membranous organelles. We have also shown that this KIF3A/3B forms a complex with other associated polypeptides, named kinesin superfamily-associated protein 3 (KAP3). In the present study, we purified KAP3 protein by immunoprecipitation using anti-KIF3B antibody from mouse testis. Microsequencing was carried out, and we cloned the full-length KAP3 cDNA from a mouse brain cDNA library. Two isoforms of KAP3 exist [KAP3A (793 aa) and KAP3B (772 aa)], generated by alternative splicing in the carboxyl terminus region. Their amino acid sequences have no homology with those of any other known proteins, and prediction of their secondary structure indicated that almost the entire KAP3 molecule is alpha-helical. We produced recombinant KAP3 and KIF3A/3B using a baculovirus-Sf9 expression system. A reconstruction study in Sf9 cells revealed that KAP3 is a globular protein that binds to the tail domain of KIF3A/3B. The immunolocalization pattern of KAP3 was similar to that of KIF3A/3B in nerve cells. In addition, we found that KAP3 does not affect the motor activity of KIF3A/3B. KAP3 was associated with a membrane-bound form of KIF3A/3B in a fractional immunoprecipitation experiment, and since the KIF3 complex was found to bind to membranous organelles in an EM study, KAP3 may regulate membrane binding of the KIF3 complex.

Localization of kinesin superfamily proteins to the connecting cilium of fish photoreceptors

Kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs) are probable motors in vesicular and non-vesicular transport along microtubular tracks. Since a variety of KIFs have been recently identified in the motile flagella of Chlamydomonas, we sought to ascertain whether KIFs are also associated with the connecting cilia of vertebrate rod photoreceptors. As the only structural link between the rod inner segment and the photosensitive rod outer segment, the connecting cilium is thought to be the channel through which all material passes into and out of the outer segment from the rod cell body. We have performed immunological tests on isolated sunfish rod inner-outer segments (RIS-ROS) using two antibodies that recognize the conserved motor domain of numerous KIFs (anti-LAGSE, a peptide antibody, and anti-Klp1 head, generated against the N terminus of Chlamydomonas Klp1) as well as an antibody specific to a neuronal KIF, KIF3A. On immunoblots of RIS-ROS, LAGSE antibody detected a prominent band at approximately 117 kDa, which is likely to be kinesin heavy chain, and Klp1 head antibody detected a single band at approximately 170 kDa; KIF3A antibody detected a polypeptide at approximately 85 kDa which co-migrated with mammalian KIF3A and displayed ATP-dependent release from rod cytoskeletons. Immunofluorescence localizations with anti-LAGSE and anti-Klp1 head antibodies detected epitopes in the axoneme and ellipsoid, and immunoelectron microscopy with the LAGSE antibody showed that the connecting cilium region was particularly antigenic. Immunofluorescence with anti-KIF3A showed prominent labelling of the connecting cilium and the area surrounding its basal body; the outer segment axoneme and parts of the inner segment coincident with microtubules were also labelled. We propose that these putative kinesin superfamily proteins may be involved in the translocation of material between the rod inner and outer segments.

Going mobile: microtubule motors and chromosome segregation

Proper chromosome segregation in eukaryotes depends upon the mitotic and meiotic spindles, which assemble at the time of cell division and then disassemble upon its completion. These spindles are composed in large part of microtubules, which either generate force by controlled polymerization and depolymerization or transduce force generated by molecular microtubule motors. In this review, we discuss recent insights into chromosome segregation mechanisms gained from the analyses of force generation during meiosis and mitosis. These analyses have demonstrated that members of the kinesin superfamily and the dynein family are essential in all organisms for proper chromosome and spindle behavior. It is also apparent that forces generated by microtubule polymerization and depolymerization are capable of generating forces sufficient for chromosome movement in vitro; whether they do so in vivo is as yet unclear. An important realization that has emerged is that some spindle activities can be accomplished by more than one motor so that functional redundancy is evident. In addition, some meiotic or mitotic movements apparently occur through the cooperative action of independent semiredundant processes. Finally, the molecular characterization of kinesin-related proteins has revealed that variations both in primary sequence and in associations with other proteins can produce motor complexes that may use a variety of mechanisms to transduce force in association with microtubules. Much remains to be learned about the regulation of these activities and the coordination of opposing and cooperative events involved in chromosome segregation; this set of problems represents one of the most important future frontiers of research.

Kinesin proteins: a phylum of motors for microtubule-based motility

The cellular processes of transport, division and, possibly, early development all involve microtubule-based motors. Recent work shows that, unexpectedly, many of these cellular functions are carried out by different types of kinesin and kinesin-related motor proteins. The kinesin proteins are a large and rapidly growing family of microtubule-motor proteins that share a 340-amino-acid motor domain. Phylogenetic analysis of the conserved motor domains groups the kinesin proteins into a number of subfamilies, the members of which exhibit a common molecular organization and related functions. The kinesin proteins that belong to different subfamilies differ in their rates and polarity of movement along microtubules, and probably in the particles/organelles that they transport. The kinesins arose early in eukaryotic evolution and gene duplication has allowed functional specialization to occur, resulting in a surprisingly large number of different classes of these proteins adapted for intracellular transport of vesicles and organelles, and for assembly and force generation in the meiotic and mitotic spindles.

The kinesin-homologous protein encoded by the Chlamydomonas FLA10 gene is associated with basal bodies and centrioles

We previously reported that the FLA10 locus on the uni linkage group of Chlamydomonas encodes a kinesin homologous protein, KHP1. The fla10 phenotype, which is a temperature-sensitive defect for flagellar assembly and maintenance, is rescued by transformation with the wild-type KHP1 gene. In the present study we identify the molecular defect associated with the fla10 mutation and examine the subcellular localization of KHP1 throughout the cell cycle. The mutation in the fla10-1 allele consists of a C to A transversion, which alters amino acid 329 in the motor domain of KHP1. This residue and the sequence of the carboxy-terminal third of the motor domain in which it is located are highly conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution in a subfamily of kinesin-related proteins from mouse (KIF3), sea urchin (KRP85/95), Xenopus (XKLP3), and Drosophila (KLP68D). These data suggest a conserved function for this family of proteins. Immunofluorescence studies reveal that: (1) in interphase cells KHP1 is associated with basal bodies and with the proximal portion of the flagella; (2) in cells undergoing flagellar regeneration KHP1 occurs in punctate structures that extend to the tip of the developing axoneme; and (3) in dividing cells KHP1 remains associated with centrioles throughout mitosis and localizes to the mitotic spindle. KHP1 is the first kinesin homologous protein to be found in association with basal bodies and centrioles throughout the cell cycle. These observations provide evidence for a direct role of basal bodies in the process of flagellar development, which we propose is based on KHP1 acting as a transporter of flagellar components from the basal bodies out to the distal site of assembly. The localization of KHP1 in mitosis suggests that this protein may play an analogous role in the centriole-based assembly of the mitotic spindle.

Sequence and submolecular localization of the 115-kD accessory subunit of the heterotrimeric kinesin-II (KRP85/95) complex

The heterotrimeric kinesin-II holoenzyme purified from sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) eggs is assembled from two heterodimerized kinesin-related motor subunits of known sequence, together with a third, previously uncharacterized 115-kD subunit, SpKAP115. Using monospecific anti-SpKAP115 antibodies we have accomplished the molecular cloning and sequencing of the SpKAP115 subunit. The deduced sequence predicts a globular 95-kD non-motor "accessory" polypeptide rich in alpha-helical segments that are generally not predicted to form coiled coils. Electron microscopy of individual rotary shadowed kinesin-II holoenzymes also suggests that SpKAP115 is globular, with a somewhat asymmetric morphology. Moreover, the SpKAP115 subunit lies at one end of the 51-nm-long kinesin-II complex, being separated from the two presumptive motor domains by a approximately 26-nm-long rod, in a manner similar to the light chains (KLCs) of kinesin itself. This indicates that SpKAP115 and the KLCs may have analogous functions, yet SpKAP115 does not display significant sequence similarity with the KLCs. The results show that kinesin and kinesin-II are assembled from highly divergent accessory polypeptides together with kinesin related motor subunits (KRPs) containing conserved motor domains linked to divergent tails. Despite the lack of sequence conservation outside the motor domains, there is striking conservation of the ultrastructure of the kinesin and kinesin-II holoenzymes.

Microtubules and microtubule motors: mechanisms of regulation

Microtubule-based motility is precisely regulated, and the targets of regulation may be the motor proteins, the microtubules, or both components of this intricately controlled system. Regulation of microtubule behavior can be mediated by cell cycle-dependent changes in centrosomal microtubule nucleating ability and by cell-specific, microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Changes in microtubule organization and dynamics have been correlated with changes in phosphorylation. Regulation of motor proteins may be required both to initiate movement and to dictate its direction. Axonemal and cytoplasmic dyneins as well as kinesin can be phosphorylated and this modification may affect the motor activities of these enzymes or their ability to interact with organelles. A more complete understanding of how motors can be modulated by phosphorylation, either of the motor proteins or of other associated substrates, will be necessary in order to understand how bidirectional transport is regulated.

The Chlamydomonas kinesin-like protein FLA10 is involved in motility associated with the flagellar membrane

The Chlamydomonas FLA10 gene was shown to encode a flagellar kinesin-like protein (Walther, Z., M. Vashishtha, and J.L. Hall. 1994. J. Cell Biol. 126:175-188). By using a temperature-sensitive allele of FLA10, we have determined that the FLA10 protein is necessary for both the bidirectional movement of polystyrene beads on the flagellar membrane and intraflagellar transport (IFT), the bidirectional movement of granule-like particles beneath the flagellar membrane (Kozminski, K.G., K.A. Johnson, P. Forscher, and J.L. Rosenbaum. 1993. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA). 90:5519-5523). In addition, we have correlated the presence and position of the IFT particles visualized by light microscopy with that of the electron dense complexes (rafts) observed beneath the flagellar membrane by electron microscopy. A role for FLA10 in submembranous or flagellar surface motility is also strongly supported by the immunolocalization of FLA10 to the region between the axonemal outer doublet microtubules and the flagellar membrane.

The Neurospora organelle motor: a distant relative of conventional kinesin with unconventional properties

The "conventional" kinesins comprise a conserved family of molecular motors for organelle transport that have been identified in various animal species. Organelle motors from other phyla have not yet been analyzed at the molecular level. Here we report the identification, biochemical and immunological characterization, and molecular cloning of a cytoplasmic motor in a "lower" eukaryote, the Ascomycete fungus Neurospora crassa. This motor, termed Nkin (for Neurospora kinesin), exhibits several unique structural and functional features, including a high rate of microtubule transport, a lack of copurifying light chains, a second P-loop motif, and an overall sequence organization reminiscent of a kinesin-like protein. However, a greater than average sequence homology in the motor domain and the presence of a highly conserved region in the C-terminus identify Nkin as a distant relative of the family of conventional kinesins. A molecular phylogenetic analysis suggests Nkin to have diverged early in the evolution of this family of motors. The discovery of Nkin may help identify domains important for specific biological functions in conventional kinesins.

Biochemical and functional diversity of microtubule motors in the nervous system

The fact that multiple microtubule-based motors exist in brain inevitably raises questions about their function. Transcripts for at least seven kinesin superfamily genes and even more dynein heavy chain genes have been detected in brain cDNA libraries. The challenge now is to match their gene products to specific functions in cells of the nervous system. Recent studies have attempted to establish a function for each microtubule motor by using recombinant protein and immunochemical approaches.

KIF3A/B: a heterodimeric kinesin superfamily protein that works as a microtubule plus end-directed motor for membrane organelle transport

We cloned a new member of the murine brain kinesin superfamily, KIF3B, and found that its amino acid sequence is highly homologous but not identical to KIF3A, which we previously cloned and named KIF3 (47% identical). KIF3B is localized in various organ tissues and developing neurons of mice and accumulates with anterogradely moving membranous organelles after ligation of nerve axons. Immunoprecipitation assay of the brain revealed that KIF3B forms a complex with KIF3A and three other high molecular weight (approximately 100 kD)-associated polypeptides, called the kinesin superfamily-associated protein 3 (KAP3). In vitro reconstruction using baculovirus expression systems showed that KIF3A and KIF3B directly bind with each other in the absence of KAP3. The recombinant KIF3A/B complex (approximately 50-nm rod with two globular heads and a single globular tail) demonstrated plus end-directed microtubule sliding activity in vitro. In addition, we showed that KIF3B itself has motor activity in vitro, by making a complex of wild-type KIF3B and a chimeric motor protein (KIF3B head and KIF3A rod tail). Subcellular fractionation of mouse brain homogenates showed a considerable amount of the native KIF3 complex to be associated with membrane fractions other than synaptic vesicles. Immunoprecipitation by anti-KIF3B antibody-conjugated beads and its electron microscopic study also revealed that KIF3 is associated with membranous organelles. Moreover, we found that the composition of KAP3 is different in the brain and testis. Our findings suggest that KIF3B forms a heterodimer with KIF3A and functions as a new microtubule-based anterograde translocator for membranous organelles, and that KAP3 may determine functional diversity of the KIF3 complex in various kinds of cells in vivo.