A Trypanosoma brucei orphan kinesin employs a convergent microtubule organization strategy to complete cytokinesis

Many single-celled eukaryotes have complex cell morphologies defined by cytoskeletal elements comprising microtubules arranged into higher-order structures. Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) cell polarity is mediated by a parallel array of microtubules that underlie the plasma membrane and define the auger-like shape of the parasite. The subpellicular array must be partitioned and segregated using a microtubule-based mechanism during cell division. We previously identified an orphan kinesin, KLIF, that localizes to the division plane and is essential for the completion of cytokinesis. To gain mechanistic insight into how this novel kinesin functions to complete cleavage furrow ingression, we characterized the biophysical properties of the KLIF motor domain in vitro. We found that KLIF is a non-processive dimeric kinesin that dynamically crosslinks microtubules. Microtubules crosslinked in an antiparallel orientation are translocated relative to one another by KLIF, while microtubules crosslinked parallel to one another remain static, resulting in the formation of organized parallel bundles. In addition, we found that KLIF stabilizes the alignment of microtubule plus ends. These features provide a mechanistic understanding for how KLIF functions to form a new pole of aligned microtubule plus ends that defines the shape of the new posterior, which is a unique requirement for the completion of cytokinesis in T. brucei.