Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2026
08:06
Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: February 14, 2016
Regulation of kinesin: implications for neuronal development
G Morfini1, G Szebenyi, B Richards
1Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9039, USA.
Developmental Neuroscience
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Kinesin motors are crucial for neuronal development and function. This study reveals kinesin is enriched in growing neurites and its membrane association is regulated by phosphorylation, impacting its function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Neuronal development relies on efficient organelle transport via motors like kinesin.
- Kinesin superfamily motors drive anterograde transport of organelles along microtubules.
- Kinesin's role and regulation in nervous tissue development remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the developmental expression, localization, and function of kinesin in neurons.
- Understand the mechanisms regulating kinesin's membrane association and protein delivery.
- Explore the impact of kinesin phosphorylation on its function.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of kinesin expression in developing brain tissue and cultured cortical neurons.
- Microscopy to observe kinesin localization in elongating neurites and growth cones.
- Biochemical assays to study kinesin phosphorylation and its correlation with membrane binding.
Main Results:
- Kinesin expression is elevated in elongating neuronal processes and growth cones during development.
- Kinesin phosphorylation correlates with its dissociation from membranes.
- Specific kinases that phosphorylate kinesin and modify its function were identified.
Conclusions:
- Kinesin plays a significant role in neuronal development, particularly in neurite outgrowth.
- Phosphorylation-dependent regulation of kinesin membrane association is a key mechanism for controlling protein delivery.
- Understanding kinesin regulation offers insights into maintaining neuronal architecture and function.
Keywords:
Non-programmatic
Related Concept Videos
01:45Destabilization of Microtubules
The destabilization of microtubules can occur during different stages of the microtubule lifecycle, such as nucleation or elongation. It can take place at either end of the microtubule or in the microtubule lattices as a whole. The lifespan of individual microtubules within a cell varies according to the cell type and stage of the cell cycle. During interphase, the lifespan of the microtubule is about 30 minutes, while during cell division, it is about 15 minutes. In axonal microtubules of...
01:32Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular cargos...
01:43The Movement of Organelles and Vesicles
In eukaryotic cells, cytoskeletal filaments such as actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments form a mesh-like cytoskeletal network. These filaments serve as tracks for transporting cellular cargo. Specialized motor proteins use the chemical energy stored in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for this transport. During interphase, microtubules are polarized, with the plus-end towards the cell periphery and the minus-end towards the cell center. Two microtubule-associated motor proteins,...
01:32Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
01:45Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...