KIF18A explained

Kinesin family member KIF18A is a human protein encoded by the KIF18A gene.[1] [2] It is part of the kinesin family of motor proteins.

Function

KIF18A is a plus-end directed motor protein, and migrates to the plus ends of the spindle during early mitosis. It first accumulates there during prophase and metaphase, and is depleted during anaphase.[3]

KIF18a(-/-) knockout in mice results in complete sterility in males, but not females, due to abnormal development of the seminiferous tubules.[4] The mice were otherwise normal, suggesting KIF18a is not essential for cell divisions in non-germ cells.

Therapeutic Target

KIF18A has been considered as a cancer target because it is overexpressed in many cancer types and mouse studies suggest it is dispensable in somatic cells.[5] As such, small molecule inhibitors of KIF18A have been developed to block its activity.

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Wiemann S, Weil B, Wellenreuther R, Gassenhuber J, Glassl S, Ansorge W, Böcher M, Blöcker H, Bauersachs S, Blum H, Lauber J, Düsterhöft A, Beyer A, Köhrer K, Strack N, Mewes HW, Ottenwälder B, Obermaier B, Tampe J, Heubner D, Wambutt R, Korn B, Klein M, Poustka A . Toward a catalog of human genes and proteins: sequencing and analysis of 500 novel complete protein coding human cDNAs . Genome Research . 11 . 3 . 422–435 . March 2001 . 11230166 . 311072 . 10.1101/gr.GR1547R .
  2. Web site: Entrez Gene: KIF18A kinesin family member 18A.
  3. Mayr MI, Hümmer S, Bormann J, Grüner T, Adio S, Woehlke G, Mayer TU . The human kinesin Kif18A is a motile microtubule depolymerase essential for chromosome congression . English . Current Biology . 17 . 6 . 488–498 . March 2007 . 17346968 . 10.1016/j.cub.2007.02.036 . free . 2007CBio...17..488M .
  4. Liu XS, Zhao XD, Wang X, Yao YX, Zhang LL, Shu RZ, Ren WH, Huang Y, Huang L, Gu MM, Kuang Y, Wang L, Lu SY, Chi J, Fen JS, Wang YF, Fei J, Dai W, Wang ZG . Germinal Cell Aplasia in Kif18a Mutant Male Mice Due to Impaired Chromosome Congression and Dysregulated BubR1 and CENP-E . Genes & Cancer . 1 . 1 . 26–39 . January 2010 . 20981276 . 2963078 . 10.1177/1947601909358184 .
  5. Payton M, Belmontes B, Hanestad K, Moriguchi J, Chen K, McCarter JD, Chung G, Ninniri MS, Sun J, Manoukian R, Chambers S, Ho SM, Kurzeja RJ, Edson KZ, Dahal UP, Wu T, Wannberg S, Beltran PJ, Canon J, Boghossian AS, Rees MG, Ronan MM, Roth JA, Minocherhomji S, Bourbeau MP, Allen JR, Coxon A, Tamayo NA, Hughes PE . Small-molecule inhibition of kinesin KIF18A reveals a mitotic vulnerability enriched in chromosomally unstable cancers . Nature Cancer . 5 . 1 . 66–84 . January 2024 . 38151625 . 10824666 . 10.1038/s43018-023-00699-5 .