ABSTRACT
Members of the Kinesin-4 family, which incorporates the previously identified Kinesin-10 family, have the ability to alter microtubule dynamics. The motor domain of members of the Kinesin-4 family is located N-terminally in the primary sequence and is immediately followed by a short neck-linker region. Members of the Kinesin-4 family display a range of modes of interaction with microtubules, although all members studied to date share the ability to alter microtubule dynamics. The mammalian Kinesin-4, KIF4, was originally discovered in the murine central nervous system and is strongly expressed in juvenile brain tissue. KIF4 appears to play similar roles in meiosis, localising to chromosomes throughout metaphase and transitioning to the midzone during anaphase. The mammalian Kinesin-4, KIF21B, plays a role in the regulation of both transport and microtubule dynamics in dendrites.
