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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Real-Time Monitoring of Aurora kinase A Activation using Conformational FRET Biosensors in Live Cells
Published on: July 30, 2020
Rapid calcium-dependent activation of Aurora-A kinase
Olga V Plotnikova1, Elena N Pugacheva, Roland L Dunbrack
1Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111, USA.
Abstract:
Oncogenic hyperactivation of the mitotic kinase Aurora-A (AurA) in cancer is associated with genomic instability. Increasing evidence indicates that AurA also regulates critical processes in normal interphase cells, but the source of such activity has been obscure. We report here that multiple stimuli causing release of Ca(2+) from intracellular endoplasmic reticulum stores rapidly and transiently activate AurA, without requirement for second messengers. This activation is mediated by direct Ca(2+)-dependent calmodulin (CaM) binding to multiple motifs on AurA. On the basis of structure-function analysis and molecular modelling, we map two primary regions of CaM-AurA interaction to unfolded sequences in the AurA N- and C-termini. This unexpected mechanism for AurA activation provides a new context for evaluating the function of AurA and its inhibitors in normal and cancerous cells.
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