In mammals, cytoplasmic dynein 1 is comprised of a dimer of heavy chain subunits (DYNC1H1), which associate with two copies of an intermediate chain (DYNC1I1 or DYNC1I2, depending on the tissue type), two copies of light intermediate chains (DYNC1LI1 or DYNC1LI2) and a number of light chain subunits (including the dynein light chain (DYNLL1), roadblock (DYNLRB1 and DYNLRB2) and Tctex families (DYNLT1, DYNLT3)) [].This entry includes the mammalian intermediate chain 1 and 2 (DYNC1I1 and DYNC1I2) and their homologues. Mammalian cytoplasmic dynein-1 complexes contain two copies of the same intermediate chain (typically DYNC1I2 in most cells, DYNC1I1 in neurons) and same light intermediate chain. DYNC1I1 and DYNC1I2 interact with the dynein light chains and the p150 subunit of dynactin at the N terminus and with the heavy chains through WD40 repeats at the intermediate chain C terminus. Both DYNC1I1 and DYNC1I2 are expressed in multiple splice isoforms, the expression of different isoforms may play an important part in dynein complex function and cargo specificity [].
