cDNA structure and characterization of a kinesin-like protein from the silkworm Bombyx mori

We have isolated a 1224 bp cDNA clone from a Bombyx mori embryonic cDNA library which contains sequences homologous to the kinesin-like protein gene, ncd , which is required for distribution of chromosomes at meiosis in Drosophila melanogaster females. This clone includes both a microtubule motor and the ATP-binding domains found in kinesin-like proteins. The motor domain is classified in the group of the BimC and cut7 , which have a role in spindle formation during mitosis of Aspergillus nidulans and Schizosaccharomyces pombe , respectively. However, the location of the domain at the carboxy terminus is not common in this family, except for ncd and KAR3.