Kinesin Family, Member 5A (KIF5A)

The predicted 1,032-amino acid protein has the characteristic features of a KHC, as well as a unique C-terminal stretch of 69 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of NKHC is 65% and 54% identical to the amino acid sequences of KNS1 and the Drosophila KHC. Northern blot analysis of rat tissues detected Nkhc expression only in brain, where multiple transcripts were found. Immunoblot analysis of rat tissue extracts using antibodies specific for NKHC detected a doublet of approximately 120 and 133 kD only in brain and sciatic nerve tissue. By indirect immunofluorescence, the authors showed that NKHC is distributed throughout the central nervous system but is highly enriched in subsets of neurons. Within cultured hippocampal neurons, NKHC is concentrated in the cell body, particularly in the perinuclear region.