Follicle separation during Drosophila oogenesis requires the activity of the kinesin II-associated polypeptide Kap in germline cells.

Cellular localization of organelles, protein complexes and single mRNAs depends on the directed transport along microtubule tracks, a process mediated by ATP-driven molecular motor proteins of the dynein and kinesin superfamilies. Kinesin II is a heterotrimeric protein complex composed of two motor subunits and a unique nonmotor Kinesin-associated protein (Kap). Kap was shown to transport both particulate cargo, as axoneme components in rafts, and membrane-bounded organelles such as melanosomes. Drosophila Kinesin II was shown to be essential for the axonal transport of choline acetyltransferase in a specific set of neurons. We have generated Kap mutants and show that gene activity is not only required for neuronal function but also for separation of follicles during early oogenesis. The data suggest that Kap participates in the transport of signalling components required for instructive interactions between germline and soma cells.

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