NCBI Summary:
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. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2015]
General function
Cytoskeleton organization
Comment
Cellular localization
Cytoskeleton
Comment
Ovarian function
Oocyte maturation
Comment
14-3-3 regulation of Ncd reveals a new mechanism for targeting proteins to the spindle in oocytes. Beaven R et al. (2017) The meiotic spindle is formed without centrosomes in a large volume of oocytes. Local activation of crucial spindle proteins around chromosomes is important for formation and maintenance of a bipolar spindle in oocytes. We found that phosphodocking 14-3-3 proteins stabilize spindle bipolarity in Drosophila melanogaster oocytes. A critical 14-3-3 target is the minus end-directed motor Ncd (human HSET; kinesin-14), which has well-documented roles in stabilizing a bipolar spindle in oocytes. Phospho docking by 14-3-3 inhibits the microtubule binding activity of the nonmotor Ncd tail. Further phosphorylation by Aurora B kinase can release Ncd from this inhibitory effect of 14-3-3. As Aurora B localizes to chromosomes and spindles, 14-3-3 facilitates specific association of Ncd with spindle microtubules by preventing Ncd from binding to nonspindle microtubules in oocytes. Therefore, 14-3-3 translates a spatial cue provided by Aurora B to target Ncd selectively to the spindle within the large volume of oocytes.//////////////////