Aurora-A and an interacting activator, the LIM protein Ajuba, are required for mitotic commitment in human cells

Toru Hirota, Naoko Kunitoku, Takashi Sasayama, Tomotoshi Marumoto, Dongwei Zhang, Masayuki Nitta, Katsuyoshi Hatakeyama, Hideyuki Saya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

551 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aurora family kinases contribute to regulation of mitosis. Using RNA interference in synchronized HeLa cells, we now show that Aurora-A is required for mitotic entry. We found that initial activation of Aurora-A in late G2 phase of the cell cycle is essential for recruitment of the cyclin B1-Cdk1 complex to centrosomes, where it becomes activated and commits cells to mitosis. A two-hybrid screen identified the LIM protein Ajuba as an Aurora-A binding protein. Ajuba and Aurora-A interact in mitotic cells and become phosphorylated as they do so. In vitro analyses revealed that Ajuba induces the autophosphorylation and consequent activation of Aurora-A. Depletion of Ajuba prevented activation of Aurora-A at centrosomes in late G2 phase and inhibited mitotic entry. Overall, our data suggest that Ajuba is an essential activator of Aurora-A in mitotic commitment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)585-598
Number of pages14
JournalCell
Volume114
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05-09-2003
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology

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