Aurora Kinases: Their Role in Cancer and Cellular Processes

Abstract

Aurora kinases, belonging to a highly conserved family of serine/threonine kinases with critical roles in the regulation of the cell cycle, comprise three members: Aurora kinase A, B, and C, which serve as key mitotic regulators essential for maintaining chromosome stability. Aurora kinases play crucial roles in multiple events in mitotic such as the coordination of chromosomal and cytoskeletal events, regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint pathway and cytokinesis to ensure the smooth progression of the cell cycle. Besides their mitotic functions, Aurora kinases are also involved in the regulation of meiosis. Gene amplification/mutation and overexpression of Aurora kinases have been detected in various solid and haematological cancers. In human tumours, Aurora kinases exhibit oncogenic roles associated with their mitotic roles, which drive the cancer cell proliferation and survival. Deregulation of Aurora kinase activity causes failure in centrosome function, spindle assembly, chromosomal alignment, and cytokinesis, eventually resulting in the mitotic abnormalities and genetic instability. These findings emphasize the crucial functions of Aurora kinases in cancer, prompting their recognition as valuable targets for cancer therapy. This review provides an overview of the structures and functions of Aurora kinases and sheds light on their oncogenic roles in cancer.