Background information
The kinesin motor proteins include at least two forms of conventional kinesin encoded by different genes and designated as ubiquitous kinesin, which is expressed in all cells and tissues, or neuronal kinesin, which is expressed exclusively in neural cells. Kinesin is a microtubule associated protein comprised of three different structural domains. A considerable globular N-terminal domain regulates the hydrolysis of ATP and also microtubule binding while central coiled-coil domains promote heavy chain dimerization. Lastly, small globular C-terminal domains interact with kinesin light chains, membranous organelles and vesicles. Expression of ubiquitous kinesin heavy chain, also designated UKHC, is found subcellularly in areas of heavy vesicular trafficking such as the microtubule pathways of neural cells and also the Golgi of non-neural cell types.
