Research reportConventional kinesin: Biochemical heterogeneity and functional implications in health and disease

•Review of microtubule-based motor proteins, focusing on conventional kinesin.•Description of biochemical heterogeneity of the multi-subunit motor protein kinesin-1.•Discussion of protein kinases as modulators of the different kinesin-1 motor proteins.•Linking altered kinase activities in neurodegenerative diseases to kinesin-1 function.

Intracellular trafficking events powered by microtubule-based molecular motors facilitate the targeted delivery of selected molecular components to specific neuronal subdomains. Within this context, we provide a brief review of mechanisms underlying the execution of axonal transport (AT) by conventional kinesin, the most abundant kinesin-related motor protein in the mature nervous system. We emphasize the biochemical heterogeneity of this multi-subunit motor protein, further discussing its significance in light of recent discoveries revealing its regulation by various protein kinases. In addition, we raise issues relevant to the mode of conventional kinesin attachment to cargoes and examine recent evidence linking alterations in conventional kinesin phosphorylation to the pathogenesis of adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases.