Kinesin News and Research

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Researchers combine two nanomachines to build lifelike DNA networks

Drawing inspiration from the dynamic architecture of living systems, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo and Kyoto University have harnessed two chemically fueled biomolecular nanomachines, DNA polymerase and kinesin, to synthesize and actively assemble complex, hierarchical DNA networks.

19 Aug 2026

Walking protein structure explains how cells activate molecular motors

A nerve cell resembles a vast tree with branches that communicate with thousands of other cells. To function, it depends on a motor protein that walks on two legs, hauling urgent cargo from the center of the cell to the faraway tips of every branch.

15 Jul 2026

Study explains how environmental acidity destabilizes internal cellular traffic

A new scientific study led by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) describes the mechano-chemical mechanism by which the acidity of the cellular environment destabilizes microtubules, the "avenues" that organize internal cellular traffic.

26 May 2026

KIF13B protects heart function during sepsis by regulating lipid metabolism

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by dysregulated host response to infection, remains a major cause of global mortality.

5 May 2026

Researchers discover how motor proteins selectively transport neuronal cargo

Intracellular transport is a vital process that allows cells to move proteins and other molecules to specific locations.

10 Apr 2026

Scientists map kinesin-2 tail structure to understand cargo binding

For decades, scientists have known that motor proteins like kinesin-2 ferry vital cargo along microtubule "highways" inside cells. But how these molecular vehicles identify and bind to the right cargo remained a mystery. The new study provides a key piece of this puzzle by revealing the atomic-level structure of the kinesin-2 tail and its interaction with cargo and adaptor proteins.

6 Nov 2025

Gene expression maps explain why diseases often occur together

This study reveals how gene expression patterns uncover molecular pathways linking comorbidities, enhancing treatment strategies for overlapping diseases.

5 Sep 2025

Scientists reveal how rare gene mutations drive schizophrenia risk

Researchers analyzed the largest exome-sequencing dataset to date and identified new rare coding variants and genes linked to schizophrenia risk. The study highlights converging genetic pathways, implicating chromatin organization and GABAergic signaling in schizophrenia neurobiology.

4 Aug 2025

Study sheds light on Kif23's role in embryonic brain development and microcephaly

A team of researchers from Tohoku University, the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University has uncovered a novel molecular mechanism through which Kif23 (a motor protein belonging to the kinesin family) plays a vital role in embryonic brain development.

5 Dec 2024

Gene variant linked to early miscarriages identified

In what could be a major advance in understanding the genetic causes underlying human infertility, scientists led by researchers from Rutgers University-New Brunswick have identified a gene variant directly tied to early miscarriages in women.

22 Nov 2024

Revolutionary real-time microscopy unveils secrets of motor protein behavior

A team led by Professor Seo Dae-ha of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST (President Lee Kun-woo) has developed new real-time microscopy technology and successfully observed the behavior of "motor proteins", which may hold the key to unraveling the efficient material transport strategy of cells.

2 Aug 2024

Study reveals how a causal factor in Angelman syndrome eliminates neural chat

Researchers from the University of Tokyo reveal how the presynaptic Ube3a E3 ligase, a causal factor in Angelman syndrome, eliminates neural chat.

14 Sep 2023

Researchers unlock the molecular basis behind fastest biological movement of single-celled eukaryotes

In his famous letter to the Royal Society dated Oct. 9, 1676, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek described a single-celled eukaryote (Vorticella) and its fascinating ultrafast cell contraction as the first set of discoveries.

22 Feb 2023

Researchers explore the mechanism involved in the living world’s fastest cell movements

Raphidocystis contractilis belongs to Heliozoa, a group of eukaryotes commonly found in fresh, brackish, and sea water.

18 Jan 2023

Study uncovers a previously unknown propofol effect in neurons

Propofol is the most commonly used drug to induce general anesthesia. Despite its frequent clinical application, it is poorly understood how propofol causes anesthesia.

7 Nov 2022

Overexpression of KIF11 gene may offset Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline in mice and humans

The overexpression of a gene tied to cell division and the structure and function of neurons may prevent and protect against cognitive decline in both mice and humans with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to a new study by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

25 Oct 2022

UC Davis research reveals a novel role for how tau functions in healthy nerve cells

In Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative dementias, proteins that normally play a role in healthy brain tissue turn bad, clumping together to form insoluble plaques and tangles as neurons wither and die.

25 Aug 2022

Study uncovers the crucial roles of kinesins during the malaria parasite life cycle

Scientists at the University of Nottingham have made a major breakthrough in understanding how malaria parasites divide and transmit the disease, which could be a major step forwards in helping to prevent one of the biggest killer infections in the world.

29 Jul 2022

Study identifies critical genes and biological pathways related to COVID-19 myocarditis

Scientists from China have recently deciphered the genetic network and biological mechanisms associated with COVID-19 myocarditis using bioinformatic methods.

28 Jun 2022

Scientists identify a new switch for controlling motor proteins

Inside neurons, motor proteins haul precious cargo, moving essential goods along thread-like roadways called microtubule tracks.

21 Jan 2022