Kinesin Light Chain Isoforms in Caenorhabditis Elegans

cDNAs for two isoforms of kinesin light chain in Caenorhabditis elegans have been cloned and sequenced; the deduced M(r) values of the polypeptides are 60,338 and 58,938. Surprisingly, two independent cDNA libraries, each derived from worms at mixed stages of development, provided different single isoforms. The two isoforms are apparently derived from a single gene but have differences at both N and C termini of the predicted protein sequences. The sequences are highly homologous to those from other species, except for some minor features that may be related to the shortened form of the kinesin heavy chain, the product of gene unc-116, with which the light chains are assumed to associate.