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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: February 14, 2016
Conventional kinesin: Biochemical heterogeneity and functional implications in health and disease
Gerardo Morfini1, Nadine Schmidt2, Carina Weissmann1
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Abstract:
Intracellular trafficking events powered by microtubule-based molecular motors facilitate the targeted delivery of selected molecular components to specific neuronal subdomains. Within this context, we provide a brief review of mechanisms underlying the execution of axonal transport (AT) by conventional kinesin, the most abundant kinesin-related motor protein in the mature nervous system. We emphasize the biochemical heterogeneity of this multi-subunit motor protein, further discussing its significance in light of recent discoveries revealing its regulation by various protein kinases. In addition, we raise issues relevant to the mode of conventional kinesin attachment to cargoes and examine recent evidence linking alterations in conventional kinesin phosphorylation to the pathogenesis of adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases.
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