Mitotic Kinase Expression and Colorectal Cancer Progression

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Loss of chromosomal integrity as well as genomic stability is considered to act as a driving force during the processes of tumorigenesis and tumor progression ( 1 - 3 ). Recently, two kinase genes involved in mitosis, the genes for aurora and IPL1-like midbody-associated protein kinase-1 ( 4 , 5 ) [AIM-1, registered in UniGene and also known as aurora1 ( 6 ) and ARK2 ( 7 )] and for serine/threonine kinase-6 [STK6, also known as BTAK/STK15 ( 8 , 9 ), Aik ( 10 ), aurora2 ( 6 ), and ARK1 ( 7 )], which are related to Ipl1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and aurora in Drosophila, have been found to be expressed at high levels in cancer cells ( 5,6,9 ). These genes encode serine/threonine protein kinases whose functional roles during chromosomal segregation processes in mitosis have been examined ( 4 - 10 ). In transfected human cells in vitro, the overexpression of either AIM-1 or STK6 causes chromosomal abnormalities, which are presumably attributed to a defect in the mitotic processes ( 5 , 9 ). Thus, these genes may be involved in the loss of chromosomal integrity during human cancer development via mitotic subversion.