Acute Inhibition of Heterotrimeric Kinesin-2 Function Reveals Mechanisms of Intraflagellar Transport in Mammalian Cilia (Current Biology)

Motors in the kinesin-2 family drive intraflagellar transport in cilia across species. Engelke et al. engineer a version of the heterotrimeric kinesin-2 motor KIF3A/KIF3B/KAP that can be acutely inhibited. They demonstrate that KIF3A/KIF3B/KAP is essential for the assembly and maintenance of primary cilia in Kif3a-/-;Kif3b-/- NIH 3T3 cells.