title: Alternatively spliced products of the human kinesin light chain 1 (KNS2) gene.
abstract: Conventional kinesin is a microtubule-based molecular motor involved in the transport of membranous and non-membranous cargoes. The kinesin holoenzyme exists as a heterotetramer, consisting of two heavy chain and two light chain subunits. It is thought that one function of the light chains is to interact with the cargo. Alternative splicing of kinesin light chain pre-mRNA has been observed in lower organisms, although evidence for alternative splicing of the human gene has not been reported. We have identified 19 variants of the human KNS2 gene (KLC1) that are generated by alternative splicing of downstream exons, but calculate that KNS2 has the potential to produce 285 919 spliceforms. Corresponding spliceforms of the mouse KLC1 gene were also identified. The alternative exons are all located 3' of exon 12 and the novel spliceforms produce both alternative carboxy termini and alternative 3' untranslated regions. The observation of multiple light chain isoforms is consistent with their proposed role in specific cargo attachment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4072.
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: McCart
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mahony
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rothnagel
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D006801:Humans; D016547:Kinesins; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: C000715688:KLC1 protein, human; C000715690:Klc1 protein, rat; C000715695:Kns2 protein, mouse; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016547:Kinesins