title: Roles of two homotetrameric kinesins in sea urchin embryonic cell division.
abstract: To improve our understanding of the roles of microtubule cross-linking motors in mitosis, we analyzed two sea urchin embryonic kinesin-related proteins. It is striking to note that both of these proteins behave as homotetramers, but one behaves as a more compact molecule than the other. These observations suggest that these two presumptive motors could cross-link microtubules into bundles with different spacing. Both motors localize to mitotic spindles, and antibody microinjection experiments suggest that they have mitotic functions. Thus, one of these kinesin-related proteins may cross-link spindle microtubules into loose bundles that are "tightened" by the other.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kashina
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Wedaman
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wilt
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Scholey
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology*; D016547:Kinesins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008845:Microinjections; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D016547:Kinesins