ABSTRACT
The Kinesin-2 family carry out transport functions and members of this family are crucial for intraflagellar transport. The family can be divided into the homodimeric and heterotrimeric members. The Kinesin-2 heavy chain contains an N-terminal motor domain, a central coiled-coil domain and a C-terminal tail domain. One interesting characteristic of some Kinesin-2 family members is their propensity to spiral around microtubules with a left-handed pitch. The paradigmatic physiological role of the Kinesin-2 family is anterograde intraflagellar transport. However, heterotrimeric and homodimeric Kinesin-2s have many other cytoplasmic transport functions in cells. Based on the diverse cellular functions of Kinesin-2, it is not surprising that defects in Kinesin-2-based transport are implicated in a diverse range of diseases. Kinesin-2s have also been shown to associate with beta-catenin and cadherins, implicating these motors in cell adhesion and cell polarity.
