Caspase-mediated AURKA cleavage at Asp¹³² is essential for paclitaxel to elicit cell apoptosis

Background: Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a potent oncogene that is often aberrantly expressed during tumorigenesis, and is associated with chemo-resistance in various malignancies. However, the role of AURKA in chemo-resistance remains largely elusive. Methods: The cleavage of AURKA upon viral infection or apoptosis stimuli was assesed by immunoblotting assays in several cancer cells or caspase deficient cell line models. The effect of AURKA cleavage at Asp¹³² on mitosis was explored by live cell imaging and immunofluorescence staining experiments. The role of Asp132-cleavage of AURKA induced by the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel was investigated using TUNEL, immunohistochemistry assay in mouse tumor xenograft model and patient tissues. Results: The proteolytic cleavage of AURKA at Asp¹³² commonly occurs in several cancer cell types, regardless of viral infection or apoptosis stimuli. Mechanistically, caspase 3/7/8 cleave AURKA at Asp¹³², and the Asp¹³²-cleaved forms of AURKA promote cell apoptosis by disrupting centrosome formation and bipolar spindle assembly in metaphase during mitosis. The AURKA^D132A mutation blocks the expression of cleaved caspase 3 and EGR1, which leads to reduced therapeutic effects of paclitaxel on colony formation and malignant growth of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo using a murine xenograft model and cancer patients. Conclusions: This study reveals that caspase-mediated AURKA^D132 proteolysis is essential for paclitaxel to elicit cell apoptosis and indicates that AURKA^D132 is a potential key target for chemotherapy.