Localization of Kif1c mRNA to cell protrusions dictates binding partner specificity of the encoded protein

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy
08:06

Identification of Kinesin-1 Cargos Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: February 14, 2016

8.0K

Megan L Norris1, Joshua T Mendell1,2,3,4

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA; joshua.mendell@utsouthwestern.edu megan.norris@utsouthwestern.edu.

Genes & Development
|March 1, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Messenger RNA (mRNA) localization to cell protrusions is crucial for directed cell migration. Mislocalizing KIF1C mRNA alters protein interactions, revealing a new mechanism for mRNA

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Subcellular mRNA localization regulates protein function, particularly in cell migration.
  • The precise mechanisms linking mRNA localization to protein function in cell protrusions are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional consequences of KIF1C mRNA localization in nonneuronal cells.
  • To elucidate the role of KIF1C mRNA localization in cell migration and protein-protein interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Studied the effects of KIF1C mRNA mislocalization on KIF1C protein properties.
  • Utilized mass spectrometry to identify KIF1C binding partners.
  • Assessed the requirement of KIF1C mRNA localization for directed cell migration.

Main Results:

  • KIF1C mRNA localization to protrusions is essential for directed cell migration.
  • Mislocalization of KIF1C mRNA does not affect KIF1C protein abundance, distribution, or its mRNA trafficking capabilities.
  • KIF1C mRNA mislocalization leads to significant changes in the number and identity of KIF1C protein interactors.

Conclusions:

  • mRNA localization to cell protrusions directly influences protein-protein interaction specificity.
  • This mechanism provides a novel link between mRNA localization and protein function in cell migration.
  • The findings suggest a general principle for how protrusion-enriched mRNAs regulate protein function in nonneuronal cells.
Keywords:
RNA localizationRNA transportkinesinpost-transcriptional regulationprotein–protein interactions

More Related Videos

Visualization of Protein-protein Interaction in Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Fractions by Co-immunoprecipitation and In Situ Proximity Ligation Assay10:05

Visualization of Protein-protein Interaction in Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Fractions by Co-immunoprecipitation and In Situ Proximity Ligation Assay

Published on: January 16, 2017

12.9K
Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay12:26

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay

Published on: May 3, 2018

18.7K

Related Concept Videos

Types of Membrane Protrusions01:28

Types of Membrane Protrusions

The protrusion of the cell surface is an initial step for several cellular processes, including cell migration, phagocytosis, and neurite outgrowth. These membrane protrusions are a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The most  widely observed cell protrusions include lamellipodia, pseudopodia, filopodia, microvilli, invadopodia, and podosomes. These protrusions can be of two types — static or dynamic.
The microvilli, an example of stable protrusions, are finger-like projections...
2.9K
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions01:17

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions

Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
2.7K
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting01:45

Regulation 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...
2.4K
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts01:57

Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts

Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
2.6K
Nuclear Localization Signals and Import01:46

Nuclear Localization Signals and Import

Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry short stretches of amino acid sequences called the nuclear localization signal or NLS. Classical nuclear localization signals are of two types: monopartite and bipartite NLS. Monopartite classical NLS (cNLS) consists of a single cluster of 4-8 amino acids. Bipartite cNLS consists of two clusters of  2-3 amino acids and a 9-12 residue long proline-rich linker bridging the two clusters. Signal clusters are rich in positively charged amino acids such as...
5.8K
Regulated mRNA Transport02:22

Regulated mRNA Transport

In eukaryotes, transcription and translation are compartmentalized; an mRNA is first synthesized in the nucleus and then selectively transported to the cytoplasm for protein synthesis. Before transport, a pre-mRNA undergoes several steps of post-transcriptional modifications including splicing, 5' capping, and the addition of a poly-adenine tail. Various proteins bind to the pre-mRNA during these modifications. The mRNA transport takes place with the help of multiple proteins playing...
6.3K