Aurora kinases are
serine/threonine kinases that are essential for
cell proliferation. They are phosphotransferase
enzymes that help the dividing cell dispense its
genetic materials to its daughter cells. More specifically, Aurora kinases play a crucial role in cellular division by controlling
chromatid
A chromatid (Greek ''khrōmat-'' 'color' + ''-id'') is one half of a duplicated chromosome. Before replication, one chromosome is composed of one DNA molecule. In replication, the DNA molecule is copied, and the two molecules are known as chro ...
segregation. Defects in this segregation can cause
genetic instability
Genome instability (also genetic instability or genomic instability) refers to a high frequency of mutations within the genome of a cellular lineage. These mutations can include changes in nucleic acid sequences, chromosomal rearrangements or an ...
, a condition which is highly associated with
tumorigenesis
Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abn ...
.
[Bolanos-Garcia V M. Aurora kinases. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 37 (2005) 1572–1577.] The first aurora kinases were identified in ''
Drosophila melanogaster
''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the " vinegar fly" or " pomace fly". Starting with ...
'', where mutations led to failure of centrosome separation with the monopolar spindles reminiscent of the North Pole, suggesting the name
aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
.
Three Aurora kinases have been identified in mammalian cells to date. Besides being implicated as mitotic regulators, these three kinases have generated significant interest in the cancer research field due to their elevated expression profiles in many human cancers.
[Giet R, Prigent C. Aurora/Ipl1p-related kinases, a new oncogenic family of mitotic serine-threonine kinases. Journal of Cell Science 112 (1999) 3591–3601.
] The human Aurora kinases present a similar domain organization, with a
N-terminal
The N-terminus (also known as the amino-terminus, NH2-terminus, N-terminal end or amine-terminus) is the start of a protein or polypeptide, referring to the free amine group (-NH2) located at the end of a polypeptide. Within a peptide, the amin ...
domain of 39–129 residues in length, a related Ser/Thr protein kinase domain and a short
C-terminal
The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...
domain containing 15–20 residues. The N-terminal domain of three proteins share low sequence conservation, which determines selectivity during
protein–protein interaction
Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are physical contacts of high specificity established between two or more protein molecules as a result of biochemical events steered by interactions that include electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding and th ...
s.
Classes
As described above, there are three classes of aurora kinases in multicellular organisms, including humans:
*
Aurora A (a.k.a. Aurora 2) functions during
prophase
Prophase () is the first stage of cell division in both mitosis and meiosis. Beginning after interphase, DNA has already been replicated when the cell enters prophase. The main occurrences in prophase are the condensation of the chromatin reti ...
of
mitosis
In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maint ...
and is required for correct duplication and separation of the
centrosome
In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') (archaically cytocentre) is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell, as well as a regulator of cell-cycle pro ...
s (the microtubule organising centres in eukaryotic cells). Aurora A activity is positively-regulated by the spindle protein TPX2,
and has recently been shown to be a target for thiol-containing molecules, such as
Coenzyme A
Coenzyme A (CoA, SHCoA, CoASH) is a coenzyme, notable for its role in the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids, and the oxidation of pyruvate in the citric acid cycle. All genomes sequenced to date encode enzymes that use coenzyme A as a subs ...
.
*
Aurora B
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
(a.k.a. Aurora 1) functions in the attachment of the mitotic spindle to the centromere.
*
Aurora C () works in germ-line cells and little is known about its function.
See also
*
Aurora inhibitor
References
External links
*
EC 2.7.11
{{2.7-enzyme-stub