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

CREATORShinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba, Kassandra M Ori-McKenney, Shinsuke Niwa, Natsuki Furusaki, Tomoki Kita, Yuki Suzuki, Kyoko Chiba
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE81 KB
VERSION1.0
LICENSECC BY 4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13581288

Browse the full library · About the Tower of Babel