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Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: February 14, 2016
The developmental biology of kinesins
Mia J Konjikusic1, Ryan S Gray2, John B Wallingford3
1Department of Molecular Biosciences, USA; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Abstract:
Kinesins are microtubule-based motor proteins that are well known for their key roles in cell biological processes ranging from cell division, to intracellular transport of mRNAs, proteins, vesicles, and organelles, and microtubule disassembly. Interestingly, many of the ~45 distinct kinesin genes in vertebrate genomes have also been associated with specific phenotypes in embryonic development. In this review, we highlight the specific developmental roles of kinesins, link these to cellular roles reported in vitro, and highlight remaining gaps in our understanding of how this large and important family of proteins contributes to the development and morphogenesis of animals.
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