The chromokinesin Kid (KIF22) forms a homodimer, moves processively along microtubules, and transports double-stranded DNA
Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba, Kassandra M Ori-McKenney, Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba · 2026
Read The chromokinesin Kid (KIF22) forms a homodimer, moves processively along microtubules, and transports double-stranded DNA by Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba, Kassandra M Ori-McKenney, Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13581288.txt.
Description
Shinsuke Niwa and colleagues showed in 2026 that the chromokinesin Kid, also called KIF22, is a dimeric motor that walks steadily along microtubules and can carry DNA. During cell division, Kid pushes chromosomes toward the spindle equator. It had long been classed as a lone, nonprocessive motor, unlike typical kinesins.
Full-length Kid in fact pairs into a homodimer through a coiled-coil region in its stalk, and that pairing is what lets it move in a sustained way. Parts of Kid could even lend steady movement to another kinesin motor. With its DNA-binding domain, the full motor hauled double-stranded DNA along microtubules in lab tests. Model predictions suggest pairing also steadies DNA binding.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba, Kassandra M Ori-McKenney, Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 81 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |