Mitochondrial association of a plus end-directed microtubule motor expressed during mitosis in Drosophila.
The kinesin superfamily is a large group of proteins (kinesin-like proteins [KLPs]) that share sequence similarity with the microtubule (MT) motor kinesin. Several members of this superfamily have been implicated in various stages of mitosis and meiosis. Here we report our studies on KLP67A of Drosophila. DNA sequence analysis of KLP67A predicts an MT motor protein with an amino-terminal motor domain. To prove this directly, KLP67A expressed in Escherichia coli was shown in an in vitro motility assay to move MTs in the plus direction. We also report expression analyses at both the mRNA and protein level, which implicate KLP67A in the localization of mitochondria in undifferentiated cell types. In situ hybridization studies of the KLP67A mRNA during embryogenesis and larval central nervous system development indicate a proliferation-specific expression pattern. Furthermore, when affinity-purified anti-KLP67A antisera are used to stain blastoderm embryos, mitochondria in the region of the spindle asters are labeled. These data suggest that KLP67A is a mitotic motor of Drosophila that may have the unique role of positioning mitochondria near the spindle.
Pereira
A J
AJ
Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01605, USA.
Dalby
B
B
Stewart
R J
RJ
Doxsey
S J
SJ
Goldstein
L S
LS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C104939:KLP67A protein, Drosophila; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins