Bioorthogonal Imaging of Aurora Kinase A in Live Cells

"Cell division (mitosis) is a tightly controlled process that is coordinated and regulated by a network of proteins localized in the nucleus. The key stages of mitosis are centrosome maturation, chromosome condensation, nuclear envelope breakdown, centrosome separation, bipolar spindle formation, chromosome separation, and finally cytokinesis. Aurora kinase A (AKA) belongs to the Aurora kinase family of serine/threonine kinases, which have been shown toplaycriticalrolesinmitoticprogression. Duringmitosis, AKA localizes to centrosomes during late S to early G2 phase. As the cell proceeds to metaphase, AKA localizes to the microtubules and near the spindle poles, where it remains until anaphase when it migrates to some extent to the spindle midzone. Finally, during cytokinesis, AKA localizes to the midbody. Whilst localized to these specific cellular regions, AKA interacts with and phosphorylates several intracellular targets, including p53, MBD3, and BRCA1, each of which are critical mediators of malignant transformation. The unique stage-specific nuclear and intracellular locations of AKA during mitosis thus make it an interesting imaging target"