Background information
KIF13B is also known as Kinesin-like protein GAKIN or GAKIN and is a 1,826 amino acid protein that is widely expressed in tissues, with highest expression in brain and kidney. KIF13B is localized to the cytoplasm, as well as to the cytoskeleton, and is thought to be a microtubule-dependent motor protein which is able to bind to a variety of proteins in order to traffic them to various locations throughout the cell. KIF13B belongs to the kinesin-like protein family and possesses three domains typical of the kinesin-like protein family, namely an N-terminal motor domain with an ATP-binding motif, an FHA domain which is known to bind diverse cargos and a large stalk domain involved in protein-protein binding. Additionally, KIF13B has a microtubule-interacting sequence which is known as the CAP-Gly domain at its C-terminus. The CAP-Gly domain is highly conserved domain among eukaryotes, and in humans, defects in the CAP-Gly domain are implicated in many diseases affecting the trafficking of vesicles, neuromuscular junctions and lysosome proliferation.
