Potential roles for Kinesins at the cortical division site

Spatial control of cytokinesis is critical for cell and plant morphology. The plane of cell division is established at G2/M transition and is initially demarcated at the cortex of the cell by the cytoskeletal preprophase band (PPB) and subsequently throughout mitosis by the cortical division zone (CDZ). Few kinesins, belonging to different classes of the superfamily, either display a distinct spatio-temporal localization at the PPB and CDZ, or genetic evidence proposes a specific function there. Protein phosphorylation and degradation are likely directing the cell cycle-dependent localization and activity of some of these kinesins, as indicated by mutation of respective conserved motifs. Furthermore, kinesins are required for continuous recruitment of CDZ identity markers to the CDZ. This review summarizes the limited current knowledge of kinesins potentially involved in the steps required for correctly oriented division planes, considering localization patterns and genetic evidence, and discussing kinesin function in context with interaction partners and cell cycle regulation.