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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Live Cell Imaging to Assess the Dynamics of Metaphase Timing and Cell Fate Following Mitotic Spindle Perturbations
Published on: September 20, 2019
Aurora kinases link chromosome segregation and cell division to cancer susceptibility
Patrick Meraldi1, Reiko Honda, Erich A Nigg
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Aurora kinases play critical roles in chromosome segregation and cell division. They are implicated in the centrosome cycle, spindle assembly, chromosome condensation, microtubule-kinetochore attachment, the spindle checkpoint and cytokinesis. Aurora kinases are regulated through phosphorylation, the binding of specific partners and ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. Several Aurora substrates have been identified and their roles are being elucidated. The deregulation of Aurora kinases impairs spindle assembly, checkpoint function and cell division, causing missegregation of individual chromosomes or polyploidization accompanied by centrosome amplification. Aurora kinases are frequently overexpressed in cancers and the identification of Aurora A as a cancer-susceptibility gene provides a strong link between mitotic errors and carcinogenesis.
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