Author(s):
Kajal Pansare, Ganesh Sonawane, Chandrashekhar Patil, Deepak Sonawane, Sunil Mahajan, Deepak Somavanshi, Yogesh Ahire, Vinod Bairagi
Email(s):
kajalgsonawane@gmail.com
DOI:
10.52711/2321-5836.2025.00033 
Address:
Kajal Pansare1*, Ganesh Sonawane1, Chandrashekhar Patil2, Deepak Sonawane3, Sunil Mahajan3, Deepak Somavanshi4, Yogesh Ahire4, Vinod Bairagi5
1Assistant Professor, Divine College of Pharmacy, Satana, Dist. Nashik - 423301, India.
2Associate Professor, Divine College of Pharmacy, Satana, Dist. Nashik - 423301, India.
3Professor, Divine College of Pharmacy, Satana, Dist. Nashik - 423301, India.
4Associate Professor, KBHSS Trust’s Institute of Pharmacy, Malegaon, Dist. Nashik - 423105, India.
5Professor, KBHSS Trust’s Institute of Pharmacy, Malegaon, Dist. Nashik - 423105, India.
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 17,
Issue - 3,
Year - 2025
ABSTRACT:
Kinesin proteins are ATP-dependent motor proteins that drive intracellular transport, mitotic spindle formation, and organelle positioning along microtubules. Kinesins are essential for cellular organization, particularly in neurons, as they transport critical cargo such as vesicles and mitochondria. Dysfunction of kinesins is increasingly linked to diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. In neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), mutations in kinesins (e.g., KIF5A, KIF1A, KIF1B) impair axonal transport and mitochondrial function, contributing to neuronal loss. While, in cancers, overexpression of mitotic kinesins such as KIF11, KIF15, and KIF20A promotes unchecked proliferation and genomic instability. These proteins are now being investigated as therapeutic targets, with several inhibitors under development. This review summarizes kinesin structure and function, their roles in disease pathogenesis, and current therapeutic strategies. It also explores the potential of kinesins as diagnostic biomarkers and highlights ongoing challenges, including the need for better in vivo models and interdisciplinary approaches. Overall, kinesins represent a critical molecular link between neurodegeneration and cancer, offering opportunities for dual-disease targeting.
Cite this article:
Kajal Pansare, Ganesh Sonawane, Chandrashekhar Patil, Deepak Sonawane, Sunil Mahajan, Deepak Somavanshi, Yogesh Ahire, Vinod Bairagi. Kinesins in Health and Disease: Emerging Roles in Neurodegeneration and Cancer. Research Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics.2025;17(3):199-5. doi: 10.52711/2321-5836.2025.00033
Cite(Electronic):
Kajal Pansare, Ganesh Sonawane, Chandrashekhar Patil, Deepak Sonawane, Sunil Mahajan, Deepak Somavanshi, Yogesh Ahire, Vinod Bairagi. Kinesins in Health and Disease: Emerging Roles in Neurodegeneration and Cancer. Research Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics.2025;17(3):199-5. doi: 10.52711/2321-5836.2025.00033 Available on: https://rjppd.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2025-17-3-8
REFERENCES:
1. Vale RD. The molecular motor toolbox for intracellular transport. Cell. 2003; 112(4):467–80.
2. Hirokawa N, Noda Y, Tanaka Y, Niwa S. Kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins and their molecular mechanisms of intracellular transport. Science. 2009; 305(5685): 331–6.
3. Cai D, Qiu J, Tamano H, et al. Axonal transport and neurodegenerative diseases. J Clin Invest. 2009;119(9):2658–64.
4. Mischerikow N, Le Guennec E, Karczewski J, et al. Microtubule dynamics and their role in mitosis and cell division. Nat Cell Biol. 2010; 12(4): 468–75.
5. Scholey JM, Verhey KJ, Schnapp BJ, et al. Kinesins: The motor proteins of the cytoskeleton. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2011; 12(10): 616–27.
6. Wang Z, Jiang X, Yang Z. Kinesin superfamily proteins in intracellular transport and mitosis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2000; 1(3): 245–55.
7. Rosenfeld SS, Grossman S, Sontag ED, et al. Intracellular transport and mitosis: The role of kinesin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2005; 1744(3): 444–53.
8. Huang J, Cialdella S, Kapoor TM. Structural and functional evolution of the kinesin motor domain. J Cell Biol. 2017; 216(3): 101–14.
9. Hackney DD, Sheetz MP. Kinesin family of motor proteins: Molecular mechanisms of transport and function. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2005; 6(12): 876–89.
10. Zhang F, Li Y, Zhang X, et al. Role of kinesins in cellular organization and intracellular trafficking. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2018;75(7):1279–87.
11. Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 6th ed. New York: Garland Science; 2015.
12. Moreno H, Zhu Y, Wang X, et al. Impaired axonal transport and its role in neurodegenerative diseases. J Neurosci. 2020;40(12):3240–55.
13. Cai Q, Lu B. Kinesin-1 and kinesin-3 in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. Neurobiol Aging. 2014; 35(3): 555–63.
14. Kapitein LC, Wulf PS, Schonewille M, et al. The role of kinesin-1 in axonal transport and neurodegenerative diseases. Sci Signal. 2010; 3(137): ra75.
15. Mistry AM, Liao M, Aday S, et al. Targeting kinesin-5 in cancer therapy. Cancer Res. 2019; 79(5): 950–60.
16. Weaver BA, Silk AD, Roush WR, et al. Kinesin-5 inhibitors and their role in cancer therapy. Cell Cycle. 2007; 6(6): 838–44.
17. Seo J, Park M. Molecular crosstalk between cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020; 77(14): 2659–80.
18. Morris RL, Scholey JM. Gene editing and RNAi targeting kinesins in cancer and neurodegeneration. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2020;19(4):345–58.
19. Swan EM, Rix U, Smith AB, et al. small molecule modulators of kinesin activity in neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmacol Res. 2021; 163: 105229.
20. Verhey KJ, Rapoport TA. Kinesins: Motor proteins in the cytoskeleton. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011; 3(5): a004723.
21. Yun J, Lee H, Kim Y, et al. Challenges in targeting kinesins for therapeutic development. J Med Chem. 2022; 65(9): 5912–27.
22. Dong G, Luo D, Xie Z. Emerging therapeutic approaches targeting kinesins in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2019; 40(2): 132–46.