KLC3 Gene

HGNC Family	Tetratricopeptide repeat domain containing (TTC)
Name	kinesin light chain 3
Description	This gene encodes a member of the kinesin light chain gene family. Kinesins are molecular motors involved in the transport of cargo along microtubules, and are composed of two kinesin heavy chain (KHC) and two kinesin light chain (KLC) molecules. KLCs are thought to typically be involved in binding cargo and regulating kinesin activity. In the rat, a protein similar to this gene product is expressed in post-meiotic spermatids, where it associates with structural components of sperm tails and mitochondria. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Kinesin light chain 3 (KLC3) is a specialized isoform of the kinesin light chains that is uniquely expressed in post‐meiotic male germ cells and plays a critical role during spermiogenesis. Initial cloning and characterization studies demonstrated that KLC3 interacts with kinesin heavy chains through a conserved heptad repeat and associates with microtubules, with expression confined to round and elongating spermatids and localization in sperm tails."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Subsequent analyses identified KLC3 as the sole kinesin light chain in post‐meiotic germ cells, where it specifically binds non–microtubule structural components such as the outer dense fibers by interacting with ODF1 via its leucine zipper motif within its tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) region."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n More detailed functional studies in spermatids revealed that KLC3 associates with mitochondria at a developmental stage when these organelles relocate from the cell periphery to form the midpiece of the sperm tail. Expression of KLC3 in fibroblasts led to the formation of prominent mitochondrial aggregates in a TPR‐dependent manner, and targeted disruption of KLC3’s kinesin light chain–microtubule interacting domain in transgenic mice caused defective mitochondrial sheath formation, reduced sperm counts, and impaired motility."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " \n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Collectively, these findings indicate that KLC3 serves a unique, microtubule‐associated as well as microtubule–independent function in sperm development, where it is essential for the proper assembly and organization of the sperm tail midpiece through binding to both outer dense fibers and mitochondria. The precise regulation of mitochondrial positioning and outer dense fiber association by KLC3 underscores its critical role in ensuring efficient energy distribution and normal sperm motility.\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A Junco, B Bhullar, H A Tarnasky, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Kinesin light-chain KLC3 expression in testis is restricted to spermatids."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Biol Reprod (2001)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1095/biolreprod64.5.1320"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod64.5.1320"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "11319135"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11319135"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Bhupinder Bhullar, Ying Zhang, Albert Junco, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Association of kinesin light chain with outer dense fibers in a microtubule-independent fashion."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2003)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M213126200"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M213126200"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12594206"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12594206"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Ying Zhang, Young Ou, Min Cheng, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "KLC3 is involved in sperm tail midpiece formation and sperm function."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Dev Biol (2012)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.04.026"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2012.04.026"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "22561200"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22561200"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Ying Zhang, Richard Oko, Frans A van der Hoorn "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Rat kinesin light chain 3 associates with spermatid mitochondria."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Dev Biol (2004)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.ydbio.2004.07.014"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2004.07.014"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15464570"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15464570"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	KLC2L, KNS2B, KLC2, KLCT
Proteins	KLC3_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	147700
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

KLC3 has 5,383 functional associations with biological entities spanning 9 categories (molecular profile, organism, chemical, disease, phenotype or trait, functional term, phrase or reference, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA, sequence feature) extracted from 112 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for KLC3 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

KLC3 Gene

Functional Associations

Please acknowledge the Harmonizome in your publications by citing the following reference(s):

	Dataset	Summary
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles	tissue samples with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures	small molecule perturbations changing expression of KLC3 gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of KLC3 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of KLC3 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with KLC3 protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with KLC3 gene from the CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of KLC3 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of KLC3 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022	transcription factors binding the promoter of KLC3 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations 2025	phenotypes associated with KLC3 gene from the curated ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations 2025 dataset.
	CM4AI KOLF21J CRISPRi Gene Perturbation Atlas	gene perturbations changing expression of KLC3 gene from the CM4AI KOLF21J CRISPRi Gene Perturbation Atlas dataset.
	CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies	assemblies containing KLC3 protein from integrated AP-MS and IF data from the CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing KLC3 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing KLC3 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing KLC3 protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with KLC3 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components co-occuring with KLC3 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of KLC3 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with KLC3 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with KLC3 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KLC3 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action	small molecule perturbations with high or low expression of KLC3 protein relative to other small molecule perturbations from the DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by KLC3 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DGIdb Drug Targets 2026	interacting drugs for KLC3 protein from the DGIdb Drug Targets 2026 dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with KLC3 gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with KLC3 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases co-occuring with KLC3 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with KLC3 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at KLC3 gene from the ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of KLC3 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of KLC3 gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing KLC3 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations	biological terms co-occuring with KLC3 gene in literature-supported statements describing functions of genes from the GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations dataset.