Kinesin activity has been linked to various cellular functions such as vesicle transport, mitotic spindle formation, chromosome segregation, chromosome congression, and cytokinesis. Structurally, all kinesins contain a motor domain with microtubule and nucleotide binding sites that utilize ATP to target cargo along microtubule filaments. MCAK (Mitotic Centromere-Associated Kinesin) is the founding member of kinesin-13 proteins. There are 3 independent genes coding for kinesin-13 proteins kif2a, kif2b, and kif2c (MCAK). Instead of functioning as a translocator of microtubules MCAK is a depolymerizer that is primarily responsible for releasing improper microtubule-kinetochore attachments during cell division.
