The Mitotic Checkpoint Kinase NEK2A Regulates Kinetochore Microtubule Attachment Stability
Oncogene (2008) 27, 4107–4114 & 2008 Nature Publishing Group All rights reserved 0950-9232/08 $30.00 www.nature.com/onc ORIGINAL ARTICLE The mitotic checkpoint kinase NEK2A regulates kinetochore microtubule attachment stability JDu1,6, X Cai1,2,6, J Yao1, X Ding2,3,QWu1,2, S Pei1, K Jiang1,2, Y Zhang1, W Wang3, Y Shi1, Y Lai1, J Shen1, M Teng1, H Huang4, Q Fei5, ES Reddy2, J Zhu5, C Jin1 and X Yao1,2 1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Micro-scale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China; 2Cancer Biology Program, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Department of Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 4Department of Hematology, the 1st Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hongzhou, China and 5Cancer Epigenetics Program, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China Loss or gain of whole chromosome, the form of Introduction chromosome instability commonly associated with cancers is thought to arise from aberrant chromosome segregation Chromosomal instability (CIN) has been recognized as a during cell division. Chromosome segregation in mitosis is hallmark of human cancer and is caused by continuous orchestrated by the interaction of kinetochores with chromosome missegregation during cell division. Proper spindle microtubules. Our studies showthat NEK2A is a chromosome segregation requires a faithful physical link kinetochore-associated protein kinase essential for faith- between spindle microtubules and centromeric DNA via ful chromosome segregation. However, it was unclear how a protein supercomplex called kinetochore (Cleveland NEK2A ensures accurate chromosome segregation in et al., 2003). In addition to providing a physical link mitosis. Here we show that NEK2A-mediated Hec1 between chromosomes and spindle microtubules, the (highly expressed in cancer) phosphorylation is essential kinetochore has an active function in orchestrating for faithful kinetochore microtubule attachments in chromosome movements through microtubule motors mitosis.
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