title: Flagellar kinesins in protists.
abstract: Cilia and flagella are organelles of the cell body present in many eukaryotic cells. Although their basic structure is well conserved from unicellular organisms to mammals, they show amazing diversity in number, structure, molecular composition, disposition and function. These complex organelles are generally assembled by the action of intraflagellar transport, which is powered by kinesin and dynein motor proteins. Several types of kinesins can function in flagella. They all have a well-conserved motor domain with characteristic signatures, but display exhaustive diversification of some domains. This diversity can be explained by the multitude of functions fulfilled by these proteins (transport of cargoes along microtubules, polymerization and depolymerization of microtubules). Functional and phylogenetic analyses reveal that at least seven kinesin families are involved in flagellum assembly and function. In protists, where cilia and flagella fulfill many essential roles, this diversity of function is also observed.
authors.affiliation: Adaptation Processes of Protists to their Environment, UMR7245 CNRS/MNHN Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57, rue Cuvier, CP52, 75231 Paris, France.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Marande
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kohl
mesh_terms: D002923:Cilia / Q000378:metabolism*; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells; D005407:Flagella / Q000378:metabolism*; D005408:Flagellin / Q000378:metabolism*; D016547:Kinesins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D005408:Flagellin; D016547:Kinesins