Kif5c, a member of the kinesin superfamily, is a molecular motor protein that moves cargos along microtubules. It is involved in intracellular cargo-transport pathways and plays a crucial role in various biological processes, especially in the nervous system [4,5]. Genetic models, such as gene knockout mouse models, have been instrumental in studying its functions.

In mice, Kif5c deficiency leads to abnormal cortical neuronal migration, dendritic branching, and spine morphology, suggesting its importance in cortical development [1]. A novel in-frame deletion in the Kif5c gene in a human patient caused infantile-onset epilepsy and psychomotor retardation, with the mutant Kif5c losing peroxisome-transporting ability [4]. In Kif5c knockout mice, there was no alteration in prion disease tempo or spread in the brain [2]. Also, deletion of Kif5c in dorsal hippocampal CA1 neurons of mice constrained spatial and contextual fear memory [3].

In conclusion, Kif5c is essential for proper neuronal development, including cortical neuron migration, dendritic and spine growth, as well as memory-related processes. Studies using Kif5c knockout mouse models have provided insights into its role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, psychomotor retardation, and malformations of cortical development.

References:

1. Li, Wanxing, Cheng, Tianling, Dong, Xinran, Qiu, Zilong, Zhou, Wenhao. 2021. KIF5C deficiency causes abnormal cortical neuronal migration, dendritic branching, and spine morphology in mice. In Pediatric research, 92, 995-1002. doi:10.1038/s41390-021-01922-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34966180/

2. Race, Brent, Williams, Katie, Baune, Chase, Encalada, Sandra E, Chesebro, Bruce. 2021. Deletion of Kif5c Does Not Alter Prion Disease Tempo or Spread in Mouse Brain. In Viruses, 13, . doi:10.3390/v13071391. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34372599/

3. Swarnkar, Supriya, Avchalumov, Yosef, Espadas, Isabel, Miller, Kyle, Puthanveettil, Sathyanarayanan V. . Molecular motor protein KIF5C mediates structural plasticity and long-term memory by constraining local translation. In Cell reports, 36, 109369. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109369. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34260917/

4. Banerjee, Santasree, Zhao, Qiang, Wang, Bo, Chen, Guangfu, Li, Chen. 2024. A novel in-frame deletion in KIF5C gene causes infantile onset epilepsy and psychomotor retardation. In MedComm, 5, e469. doi:10.1002/mco2.469. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38525108/

5. Kanai, Y, Okada, Y, Tanaka, Y, Terada, S, Hirokawa, N. . KIF5C, a novel neuronal kinesin enriched in motor neurons. In The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 20, 6374-84. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10964943/