TY - JOUR AU - Willems, Estelle AU - Dedobbeleer, Matthias AU - Digregorio, Marina AU - Lombard, Arnaud AU - Lumapat, Paul Noel AU - Rogister, Bernard PY - 2018 DA - 2018/09/19 TI - The functional diversity of Aurora kinases: a comprehensive review JO - Cell Division SP - 7 VL - 13 IS - 1 AB - Aurora kinases are serine/threonine kinases essential for the onset and progression of mitosis. Aurora members share a similar protein structure and kinase activity, but exhibit distinct cellular and subcellular localization. AurA favors the G2/M transition by promoting centrosome maturation and mitotic spindle assembly. AurB and AurC are chromosome-passenger complex proteins, crucial for chromosome binding to kinetochores and segregation of chromosomes. Cellular distribution of AurB is ubiquitous, while AurC expression is mainly restricted to meiotically-active germ cells. In human tumors, all Aurora kinase members play oncogenic roles related to their mitotic activity and promote cancer cell survival and proliferation. Furthermore, AurA plays tumor-promoting roles unrelated to mitosis, including tumor stemness, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and invasion. In this review, we aim to understand the functional interplay of Aurora kinases in various types of human cells, including tumor cells. The understanding of the functional diversity of Aurora kinases could help to evaluate their relevance as potential therapeutic targets in cancer. SN - 1747-1028 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13008-018-0040-6 DO - 10.1186/s13008-018-0040-6 ID - Willems2018 ER -