KIF1Bβ transports dendritically localized mRNPs in neurons and is recruited to synapses in an activity-dependent manner.

KIF1Bβ is a kinesin-like, microtubule-based molecular motor protein involved in anterograde axonal vesicular transport in vertebrate and invertebrate neurons. Certain KIF1Bβ isoforms have been implicated in different forms of human neurodegenerative disease, with characterization of their functional integration and regulation in the context of synaptic signaling still ongoing. Here, we characterize human KIF1Bβ (isoform NM015074), whose expression we show to be developmentally regulated and elevated in cortical areas of the CNS (including the motor cortex), in the hippocampus, and in spinal motor neurons.