Complementation of fission yeast kinesin-5/Cut7 with human Eg5 provides a versatile platform for screening of anticancer compounds.
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.
Hwang W, Toda T, Yukawa M