Kinesin-like protein KIF1A, also known as axonal transporter of synaptic vesicles or microtubule-based motor KIF1A, is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the KIF1A gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

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Function

KIF1A is a member of the kinesin

Kinesin

A kinesin is a protein belonging to a class of motor proteins found in eukaryotic cells. Kinesins move along microtubule filaments, and are powered by the hydrolysis of ATP . The active movement of kinesins supports several cellular functions including mitosis, meiosis and transport of cellular...

 family. This protein is highly similar to mouse heavy chain kinesin member 1A protein which is an anterograde motor protein that transports membranous organelles along axon

Axon

An axon is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body or soma....

al microtubule

Microtubule

Microtubules are a component of the cytoskeleton. These rope-like polymers of tubulin can grow as long as 25 micrometers and are highly dynamic. The outer diameter of microtubule is about 25 nm. Microtubules are important for maintaining cell structure, providing platforms for intracellular...

s. It is thought that this protein may play a critical role in the development of axonal neuropathies resulting from impaired axonal transport. There are multiple polyadenylation

Polyadenylation

Polyadenylation is the addition of a poly tail to an RNA molecule. The poly tail consists of multiple adenosine monophosphates; in other words, it is a stretch of RNA that has only adenine bases. In eukaryotes, polyadenylation is part of the process that produces mature messenger RNA for translation...

 sites found in this gene.

Clinical significance

KIF1A is associated with hereditary spastic paraparesis

Hereditary spastic paraplegia

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia , also called Familial Spastic Paraplegias or Strumpell-Lorrain disease, is a group of inherited diseases whose main feature is progressive stiffness and contraction in the lower limbs. as a result of damage to dysfunction of the nerves...

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Further reading