Kif5b is an essential forward trafficking motor for the Kv1.5 cardiac potassium channel.

We have investigated the role of the kinesin I isoform Kif5b in the trafficking of a cardiac voltage-gated potassium channel, Kv1.5. In Kv1.5-expressing HEK293 cells and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts, current densities were increased from control levels of 389 +/- 50.0 and 317 +/- 50.3 pA pF(1), respectively, to 614 +/- 74.3 and 580 +/- 90.9 pA pF(1) in cells overexpressing the Kif5b motor. Overexpression of the Kif5b motor increased Kv1.5 expression additively with several manipulations that reduce channel internalization, suggesting that it is involved in the delivery of the channel to the cell surface. In contrast, expression of a Kif5b dominant negative (Kif5bDN) construct increased Kv1.5 expression non-additively with these manipulations. Thus, the dominant negative acts by indirectly inhibiting endocytosis. The increase in Kv1.5 currents induced by wild-type Kif5b was dependent on Golgi function; a 6 h treatment with Brefeldin A reduced Kv1.5 currents to control levels in Kif5b-overexpressing cells but had little effect on the increase associated with Kif5bDN expression. Finally, expression of the Kif5bDN prior to induction of Kv1.5 in a tetracycline inducible system blocked surface expression of the channel in both HEK293 cells and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Thus, Kif5b is essential to anterograde trafficking of a cardiac voltage-gated potassium channel.