Aurora kinases orchestrate mitosis; who are the players?

Abstract

The Aurora are a conserved family of serine/threonine kinases with essential functions in cell division. In mitosis, Aurora kinases are required for chromosome segregation, condensation and orientation in the metaphase plate, spindle assembly, and the completion of cytokinesis. This review presents the Aurora kinases, their partners and how their interactions impact on the different mitotic functions.

Keywords

• aurora kinase
• aurora-a kinase
• aurora-b kinase
• chromosomal passenger complex
• cytokinesis
• mitosis
• mitotic spindle