In the kinesin family, all the molecular motors that have been implicated in the regulation of microtubule dynamics have been shown to stimulate microtubule depolymerization. Here, we report that kinesin-1 (also known as conventional kinesin or KIF5B) stimulates microtubule elongation and rescues. We show that microtubule-associated kinesin-1 carries the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) to allow its activation and that microtubule elongation requires JNK activity throughout the microtubule life cycle. We also show that kinesin-1 and JNK promoted microtubule rescues to similar extents. Stimulation of microtubule rescues by the kinesin-1/JNK pathway could not be accounted for by the rescue factor CLIP-170. Indeed only a dual inhibition of kinesin-1/JNK and CLIP-170 completely blocked rescues and led to extensive microtubule loss. We propose that the kinesin-1/JNK signaling pathway is a major regulator of microtubule dynamics in living cells and that it is required with the rescue factor CLIP-170 to allow cells to build their interphase microtubule network.

No abstract