A plant-specific kinesin KinG regulates intra- and intercellular movement of SHORT-ROOT

SHORT-ROOT (SRT) is a transcription factor that has previously been shown to move between cells and so contribute to developmental patterning. Spiegelman et al. investigated the cellular machinery that contributes to SRT’s movement. Previous work showed that the movement of SRT depends on the endosome and intact microtubules. In this work the authors identified KinG, a kinesin (microtubule motor protein) that interacts with SRT. Through co-expression in leaf epidermal cells, they observed a siginificant co-localization of SRT and KinG. They also used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate a kinG mutant, and found that SRT movement is reduced in it. They propose a model in which SRT association with KinG promotes pausing, which may facilitate formation of a movement-competent complex. (Summary by Mary Williams)  Plant Physiol. 10.1104/pp.17.01518