Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Real-Time Monitoring of Aurora kinase A Activation using Conformational FRET Biosensors in Live Cells
Published on: July 30, 2020
Dysregulating IRES-dependent translation contributes to overexpression of oncogenic Aurora A Kinase
Tara Dobson1, Juan Chen, Les A Krushel
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 6767 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Unlabelled:
Overexpression of the oncoprotein Aurora A kinase occurs in multiple types of cancer, often early during cell transformation. To identify the mechanism(s) contributing to enhanced Aurora A protein expression, a comparison between normal human lung fibroblast and breast epithelial cells to nontumorigenic breast (MCF10A and MCF12A) and tumorigenic breast (MCF-7) and cervical cell lines (HeLa S3) was performed. A subset of these immortalized lines (MCF10A, MCF12A, and HeLa S3) exhibited increased levels of Aurora A protein, independent of tumorigenicity. The increase in Aurora A protein in these immortalized cells was not due to increased transcription/RNA stability, protein half-life, or cap-dependent translation. Assays utilizing monocistronic and dicistronic RNA constructs revealed that the 5'-leader sequence of Aurora A contains an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), which is regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner, peaking in G2/M phase. Moreover, IRES activity was increased in the immortalized cell lines in which Aurora A protein expression was also enhanced. Additional studies indicated that the increased internal initiation is specific to the IRES of Aurora A and may be an early event during cancer progression. These results identify a novel mechanism contributing to Aurora A kinase overexpression.
Implications:
The current study indicates that Aurora A kinase contributes to immortalization and tumorigenesis.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of the Unfolded Protein Response
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
The Unfolded Protein Response
Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life

