Microtubules, polymers of alpha and beta tubulin subunits, form the mitotic spindle of a dividing cell and help to organize membranous organelles during interphase. Katanin is a heterodimer that consists of a 60 kDa ATPase (p60 subunit A 1) and an 80 kDa accessory protein (p80 subunit B 1). The p60 subunit acts to sever and disassemble microtubules, while the p80 subunit targets the enzyme to the centrosome. This gene encodes the p80 subunit. This protein is a member of the AAA family of ATPases. Multiple alternatively spliced variants, encoding the same protein, have been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2011].