Description
This gene encodes a member of the kinesin-3 superfamily of microtubule motor proteins. These proteins are involved in numerous processes including vesicle transport, chromosome segregation, mitotic spindle formation, and cytokinesis. In human HeLa-S3 and 293T cells, this protein is localized to the cytoplasm during interphase, to the spindle poles and spindle microtubules during mitosis, and to the midbody during cytokinesis. An internal motor domain displays microtubule-dependent ATPase activity, consistent with its function as a microtubule motor protein. Knockdown of this gene results in failed cytokinesis with endoreplication, which results in multinucleated cells. This gene has been identified as a likely oncogene in breast, lung and ovarian cancers, as well as retinoblastomas and gliomas. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.