Microtubules have been implicated as being necessary for the secretion of
insulin from beta-cells, although the mechanism by which cytoplasmic microtubules contribute to the release of
insulin is unknown.
Kinesin is a microtubule-dependent
adenosine triphosphatase (
ATPase) that is thought to be responsible for the intracellular transport of vesicles and organelles. In this manuscript, the purification and preliminary characterization of a beta-cell form of
kinesin is described. A 120-kilodalton antikinesin-reactive
polypeptide was identified on blots when cultured
insulinoma tumor cell lines were subjected to immunoblot analysis using
monoclonal antibodies specific for the heavy chain of mammalian
kinesin. The beta-cell form of
kinesin was isolated from solid rat
insulinoma tumors by cosedimentation of the
kinesin with microtubules from tissue homogenates in the presence of
adenylyl-imidodiphosphate. The beta-cell
kinesin was further purified by gel filtration chromatography, and then the pure
enzyme was characterized using in vitro assays. Although beta-cell
kinesin showed little
ATPase activity alone, the
enzyme exhibited considerable
ATP hydrolysis activity in the presence of
taxol-stabilized microtubules. Moreover, in motility assays beta-cell
kinesin was able to translocate microtubules across microscope coverslips in the presence of Mg(2+)-
ATP. In summary, we report the identity of a novel islet beta-cell form of the microtubule-dependent
ATPase kinesin and suggest a possible contribution of the microtubule cytoskeleton in insulin secretion.