Molecular analysis of a cytoplasmic dynein light intermediate chain reveals homology to a family of ATPases.

Cytoplasmic dynein is a multi-subunit complex involved in retrograde organelle transport and some aspects of mitosis. In previous work we have cloned and sequenced cDNAs encoding the rat cytoplasmic dynein heavy and intermediate chains. Here we report the cloning of the remaining class of cytoplasmic dynein subunits, which we refer to as the light intermediate chains (LICs: 53-59 kDa). Four LIC electrophoretic bands were resolved in purified bovine cytoplasmic dynein preparations by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis. These four bands were simplified to two bands (LIC53/55 and LIC57/59) by alkaline phosphatase treatment. N-terminal amino acid sequence was obtained from a total of 11 proteolytic peptides generated from both LIC53/55 and LIC57/59. Overlapping cDNA clones encoding LIC53/55 were isolated by oligonucleotide screening using probes based on the LIC53/55 peptide sequence. The cDNA sequence contained a 497 codon open reading frame encoding a polypeptide with a molecular mass of approximately 55 kDa. Each of the LIC53/55 peptides was found within the deduced amino acid sequence, as well as four of the LIC57/59 peptides. Analysis of the LIC53/55 primary sequence revealed homology with the ABC transporter family of ATPases in the region surrounding the P-loop sequence element. Together these data identify the LICs as a novel family of dynein subunits with potential ATPase activity. They also reveal that the complexity of the LICs is due to both post-translational modification and the existence of at least two LIC polypeptides for which we propose the names LIC-1a and LIC-2.