Chimeric kinesin proteins verify that the UncA tail is sufficient for microtubule specificity.
(A) Scheme for the creation of chimera of kinesin 1 (yellow), KinA, and kinesin 3, UncA (green). (B) Localization of GFP-UncA (SNZ2) and (C) mRFP-KinA (SCS6-NZ). (D) Time lapse of the KinA–UncA chimeric protein (SCoS23). Arrows indicate a moving vesicle. Vesicles also accumulate at the tip of hyphae, similar to the UncA localization. (E) Growth comparison of WT, ΔuncA and the ΔuncA strain complemented with the KinA-UncA chimera (SCoS23). The fusion protein can restore the ΔuncA phenotype. (F) Localization pattern of KinArigor-UncA chimera (SCoS24) labeled with GFP in the ΔuncA strain, under the control of the uncA promoter. The chimera shows the same specificity as UncArigor. (G) In contrast UncArigor-KinA chimera (SCoS44) in ΔuncA, labeled with GFP, under the control of the uncA promoter do not label MT subpopulations. Hyphae are 3 µm in diameter.