Kinesin-5 family proteins are essential for bipolar spindle assembly to ensure mitotic fidelity. Here, we demonstrate evolutionary functional conservation of kinesin-5 between human and fission yeast. Human Eg5 expressed in the nucleus replaces fission yeast counterpart Cut7. Intriguingly, Eg5 overproduction results in cytotoxicity. This phenotype provides a useful platform for the development of novel kinesin-5 inhibitors as anticancer drugs.
Keywords: Cut7; Eg5; fission yeast; kinesin-5; mitotic spindle.
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry.