Stall force measurement of the kinesin-3 motor KIF1A using a programmable DNA origami nanospring
A DNA origami nanospring introduces a force-sensing technology that enables measurement of motor protein stall forces without optical trapping, detecting force changes in kinesin KIF1A and its disease-related mutants.
π° "Stall force measurement of the kinesin-3 motor KIF1A using a programmable DNA origami nanospring"
https://doi.org/doi:10.7554/eLife.108477https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41879504/ #Kinesin #MyosinStall force measurement of the kinesin-3 motor KIF1A using a programmable DNA origami nanospring
A DNA origami nanospring introduces a force-sensing technology that enables measurement of motor protein stall forces without optical trapping, detecting force changes in kinesin KIF1A and its disease-related mutants.
π° "The Kifc3 Motor Protein Controls Centrosomal Factor Cep192 in Ontogenic Coordination of Megakaryocyte Development"
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.20.713234v1?rss=1 #Kinesin
The Kifc3 Motor Protein Controls Centrosomal Factor Cep192 in Ontogenic Coordination of Megakaryocyte Development
The distinct features of neonatal megakaryocytes, high proliferation and inefficient platelet production, have clinical repercussions. A diminished capacity for stress thrombopoiesis, the response to acute drops in platelet counts, contributes to the high prevalence of thrombocytopenia in premature infants and to impaired platelet recovery after umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation. High proliferation also promotes leukemogenesis in babies with Down Syndrome (DS). The transcriptional coactivator Mkl1/MrtfA participates in programming the ontogenic shift from fetal/neonatal to adult-type megakaryopoiesis; in this activity it is opposed by the DS-associated kinase Dyrk1a. In a screen for downstream ontogenic effectors in human progenitors, we identified the kinesin Kifc3 as a factor selectively decreased in adult megakaryocytes and whose knockdown in neonatal megakaryocytes induced adult-type morphogenesis with augmented platelet release. Kifc3 acts as a minus-end directed motor for centrosomal delivery of various cargos. Centrosomal release of Cep192 has recently been found induce cellular process extensions through actin remodeling, reminiscent of megakaryocyte platelet release. In our studies, Cep192 showed striking upregulation and dispersion in adult vs neonatal megakaryocytes, and Kifc3 knockdown recapitulated this effect in neonatal megakaryocytes. A role for Cep192 in promoting megakaryocyte morphogenesis, distinct from its role in centrosome biogenesis, was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. In silico screening for Kifc3 inhibitors identified a small molecule that affected neonatal megakaryocytes similarly to Kifc3 knockdown, indicating feasibility for therapeutic targeting of the Kifc3-Cep192 pathway in clinical conditions associated with fetal-type megakaryopoiesis.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
NIH, R01 HL149667, R01 DK079924, R56 DK141123
π° "Bioinformatics analysis of de novo missense variants in Kinesin Family Member 1A (KIF1A) in autism spectrum disorder: a case report and literature review"
https://doi.org/doi:10.62347/EWYF1462https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41868953/ #Kinesinπ° "Bisphenol-A impairs hippocampal neurogenesis by disrupting Kinesin-1-dependent mitochondrial trafficking"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111375https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41839425/ #Kinesinπ° "Mechanism of High-Efficient Microtubule Gliding and Low-Efficient Microtubule Sliding by Kinesin-14 Ncd Molecular Motors"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c06548https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41838423/ #Microtubule #Kinesinπ° "Consequences of the Novel ALS-Associated KIF5A Variant c.2993-6C > A for Exon 27 Splicing and Axonal Transport of SFPQ"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1212/NXG.0000000000200362https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41836882/ #Kinesinπ° "Functional validation of the novel KIF5A p.R17Q VUS reveals defective axonal transport in iPSC-motoneurons from a SPG10 patient"
https://doi.org/doi:10.3389/fgene.2026.1774170https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41836058/ #Kinesin
Frontiers | Functional validation of the novel KIF5A p.R17Q VUS reveals defective axonal transport in iPSC-motoneurons from a SPG10 patient
Cytoskeletal alterations and axonal transport deficits are key factors in many neurodegenerative disorders. The neuronal kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) is ...
π° "Control of lysosome function by the GTPase-activating protein TBC1D9B and its binding partner TMEM55B"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1038/s41467-026-70345-yhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41832156/ #Kinesinπ° "Control of lysosome function by the GTPase-activating protein TBC1D9B and its binding partner TMEM55B"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1038/s41467-026-70345-yhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41832156/ #Dynamics #Kinesin
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