Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.6.4.4 (kinesin)
 5,033 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Deficiency of caytaxin results in hereditary ataxia or dystonia in humans, mice and rats. Our yeast two-hybrid screen identified kinesin light chains (KLCs) as caytaxin-binding proteins. The tetratricopeptide-repeat region of KLC1 recognizes the ELEWED sequence (amino acids 115-120) of caytaxin. This motif is conserved among BNIP-2 family members and other KLC-interacting kinesin cargo proteins such as calsyntenins. Caytaxin associates with kinesin heavy chains (KHCs) indirectly by binding to KLCs, suggesting that caytaxin binds to the tetrameric kinesin molecule. In cultured hippocampal neurons, we found that caytaxin is distributed in both axons and dendrites in punctate patterns, and it colocalizes with microtubules and KHC. GFP-caytaxin expressed in hippocampal neurons is transported at a speed ( approximately 1 mum/second) compatible with kinesin movement. Inhibition of kinesin-1 by dominant-negative KHC decreases the accumulation of caytaxin in the growth cone. Caytaxin puncta do not coincide with vesicles containing known kinesin cargos such as APP or JIP-1. A part of caytaxin, however, colocalizes with mitochondria and suppression of caytaxin expression by RNAi redistributes mitochondria away from the distal ends of neurites. These data indicate that caytaxin binds to kinesin-1 and functions as an adaptor that mediates intracellular transport of specific cargos, one of which is the mitochondrion.
 ...
PMID:Cayman ataxia protein caytaxin is transported by kinesin along neurites through binding to kinesin light chains. 1986 99

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. It is transmitted by phlebotomine female sand flies of the genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia in the old and new world, respectively. More than 20 well-recognized Leishmania species are known to infect humans and cause visceral (VL), cutaneous (CL) and mucocutaneous (ML) forms of the disease. Approximately 350 million people are at risk of contracting the disease and an estimated 1.6 million new cases occur annually. The disease mainly affects poor people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and is associated with malnutrition, population migration, poor residency conditions, frail immune system and lack of resources. Previously, diagnosis of leishmaniasis relied mainly on invasive techniques of detecting parasites in splenic and bone marrow aspirates. Nevertheless, serological tests using the recombinant kinesin antigen (rK39) and molecular methods (polymerase chain reaction) are considered the best options for diagnosis today, despite problems related to varying sensitivities and specificities and field adaptability. Therapy of leishmaniasis ranges from local treatment of cutaneous lesions to systemic often toxic, therapy for disseminated CL, ML and VL. Agents with efficacy against leishmaniasis include amphotericin B, pentavalent antimonial drugs, paromomycin and miltefosine. No single therapy of VL currently offers satisfactory efficacy along with safety. This article provides a brief and updated systematic review on the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of this neglected disease.
 ...
PMID:Leishmaniasis revisited: Current aspects on epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. 2784 86