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Description

Kinesin light chain (UniProt: P37285 and B2GV74 for KLC1 and KLC2, respectively) is encoded by the Klc1/Klc2 (also known as Klc, Kns2) gene (Gene ID: 171041/309159) in rat. Kinesin is a microtubule-associated force-producing protein that may play a role in organelle transport. The kinesin light chain (KLC) may function in coupling of cargo to the heavy chain or in the modulation of its ATPase activity. Kinesin light chain 1 is expressed in the brain tissue and exists as an oligomeric complex of two heavy and two light chains. It also contains six tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR). The heavy chains of kinesin have a microtubule-binding ATPase motor domain at their amino terminus, a neck coil, and an extended series of coiled coils, separated by a hinge region, that results in heavy-chain dimerization. Kinesin light chains can associate with the heavy-chain coiled coils at the carboxyl-terminal region. The light chains bind cargoes and regulate its activity. KLCs through their TRP repeat domains can recognize shirt linear peptide motifs found on cargo proteins. In the absence of any cargo binding, kinesin-1 exists in a folded compact state, which prevents unnecessary cycles of ATP hydrolysis. However, in the cargo-bound active state inhibition is relieved and it adopts a more elongated structure that can hydrolyze ATP and translocate along microtubules. Point mutations in Klc gene can affect functional domains in kinesin, which can result in late-onset dying-back neuropathies in sensory or motor neurons. (Ref.: Yip, YY., et al. (2016). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113(9), 2418-2423, Pigino, G., et al. (2009). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106(14), 5907-5912).