Mutant/mutation
The mutant expresses a C-terminal GFP-tagged version of kinesin-5 


Protein (function)
Kinesin-5 proteins are a family of molecular motors that is structurally and functionally conserved throughout eukaryotes. They are involved in spindle pole separation and are considered essential for mitosis in the vast majority of eukaryotes. Kinesin-5 is located at spindle MTs and spindle poles during cell division and is distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm during interphase in most eukaryotic cells. 
In Plasmodium berghei there are nine kinesin genes, including two kinesin-8 genes that are important in cell division and male gamete formation. There is a single Plasmodium kinesin-5.

Phenotype
Analyses of a mutant lacking expression of kinesin 5 (RMgm-4874) showed that deletion of kinesin-5 had little visible effect at any proliferative stage except sporozoite production in oocysts, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of  sporozoites in mosquito salivary glands

Analyses of the mutant expressing a GFP-tagged version of kinesin 5 provided evidence that:
- Pbkinesin-5 is located at the spindle apparatus during mitotic stages of asexual blood stage schizogony
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of Pbkinesin-5 reveal its location on the spindle apparatus during male gametogony
- During meiosis in zygote to ookinete development, Pbkinesin-5 location follows spindle dynamics. Kinesin-5-GFP fluorescence was initially diffuse within the zygote nucleus, after 1.5 to 2 hours post fertilization the GFP signal coalesced to a single focal point adjacent to the DNA
- Pbkinesin-5-GFP exhibits multiple nuclear foci during oocyst development and in liver stage schizogony 

Additional information
From the Abstract: 'Deletion of kinesin-5 had little visible effect at any proliferative stage except sporozoite production in oocysts, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of motile sporozoites in mosquito salivary glands, which were able to infect a new vertebrate host. Live-cell imaging showed kinesin-5-GFP located on the spindle and at spindle poles during both atypical mitosis and meiosis. Fixed-cell immunofluorescence assays revealed kinesin-5 co-localized with α-tubulin and centrin-2 and a partial overlap with kinetochore marker NDC80 during early blood stage schizogony. Dual-colour live-cell imaging showed that kinesin-5 is closely associated with NDC80 during male gametogony, but not with kinesin-8B, a marker of the basal body and axonemes of the forming flagella.'

To quantify the expression of kinesin-5 at different stages of the parasite life cycle, we isolated RNA and performed qRT-PCR. Kinesin-5 is expressed constitutively throughout the blood and mosquito stages of parasite development, with the highest level in gametocytes, followed by schizonts and ookinetes

Other mutants