Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Real-Time Monitoring of Aurora kinase A Activation using Conformational FRET Biosensors in Live Cells
Published on: July 30, 2020
Aurora Borealis (Bora), Which Promotes Plk1 Activation by Aurora A, Has an Oncogenic Role in Ovarian Cancer
Alfonso Parrilla1, Marta Barber1, Blanca Majem1
1Cell cycle and cancer laboratory, Group of Biomedical Research in Urology, Vall Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
Identifying novel actionable factors that critically contribute to tumorigenesis is essential in ovarian cancer, an aggressive and disseminative tumor, with limited therapeutic options available. Here we show that Aurora Borealis (BORA), a mitotic protein that plays a key role in activating the master mitotic kinase polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), has an oncogenic role in ovarian cancer. Gain and loss of function assays on mouse models and ex vivo patient-derived ascites cultures revealed an oncogenic role of BORA in tumor development and a transcriptome-analysis in clinically representative models depicted BORA's role in survival, dissemination and inflammatory cancer related-pathways. Importantly, combinatory treatments of FDA-approved inhibitors against oncogenic downstream effectors of BORA displayed synergistic effect in ovarian cancer models, offering promising therapeutic value. Altogether, our findings uncovered for the first time a critical role of BORA in the viability of human cancer cells providing potential novel therapeutic opportunities for ovarian cancer management.
Related Concept Videos
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic...
Abnormal Proliferation
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...

