Aurora‐A Kinase: A Potent Oncogene and Target for Cancer Therapy

Min Yan(Sun Yat-sen University), Chunli Wang(Dalian Medical University), Bin He(Sun Yat-sen University), Mengying Yang(Dalian Medical University), Mengying Tong(Dalian Medical University), Zi‐Jie Long(Sun Yat-sen University), Bing Liu(Dalian Medical University), Fei Peng(Dalian Medical University), Lingzhi Xu(Dalian Medical University), Yan Zhang(Sun Yat-sen University), Dapeng Liang(Dalian Medical University), Haixin Lei(Dalian Medical University), Subrata Sen(The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), Keith W. Kelley(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Eric W.‐F. Lam(Imperial College London), Bilian Jin(Dalian Medical University), Quentin Liu(Sun Yat-sen University)
Medicinal Research Reviews
July 13, 2016
10.1002/med.21399
Cited by 305

Abstract

The Aurora kinase family is comprised of three serine/threonine kinases, Aurora-A, Aurora-B, and Aurora-C. Among these, Aurora-A and Aurora-B play central roles in mitosis, whereas Aurora-C executes unique roles in meiosis. Overexpression or gene amplification of Aurora kinases has been reported in a broad range of human malignancies, pointing to their role as potent oncogenes in tumorigenesis. Aurora kinases therefore represent promising targets for anticancer therapeutics. A number of Aurora kinase inhibitors (AKIs) have been generated; some of which are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. Recent studies have unveiled novel unexpected functions of Aurora kinases during cancer development and the mechanisms underlying the anticancer actions of AKIs. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances in Aurora-A kinase research and targeted cancer therapy, focusing on the oncogenic roles and signaling pathways of Aurora-A kinases in promoting tumorigenesis, the recent preclinical and clinical AKI data, and potential alternative routes for Aurora-A kinase inhibition.

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