Abstract A61: Cell cycle regulated centrosome orientation during directed migration requires Aurora Kinase A

Abstract

Abstract Cell cycle progression and the acquisition of a migratory phenotype are hallmarks of human carcinoma cells. Here we report a strong correlation between cell cycle progression into G2 phase and an increased migratory velocity for non-malignant, immortalized mammary epithelia nMuMG (Mus musculus mammary gland) cells, or malignant cervical carcinoma HeLa cells, expressing a fluorescent ubiquitin cell cycle indicator and quantified in wound closure assays with high content multi-parameter live cell imaging. Cells at the wound edge exhibited elevated microtubule nucleation capacity at centrosomes, and a reduction of this capacity through inhibition of aurora kinase A was sufficient to impair migration velocity without affecting cell cycle dynamics. In migratory cells, active aurora kinase A at the centrosome correlated with nucleation capacity. In clinically annotated mammary carcinoma tissues (n=3,992), aurora kinase A activity, as assessed by the abundance of phosphorylated-RHAMM (Receptor for Hyaluronan Mediated Motility) was a significant predictor of breast cancer specific survival and relapse free survival in patients with estrogen receptor negative breast cancer (n= 941), triple negative phenotype breast cancer (n= 538) or basal-like subtype breast cancer (n= 293), but not in those patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (n= 2,218). In estrogen receptor negative tumors from patients that received no adjuvant systemic therapy (n= 453), the levels of phosphorylated-RHAMM associated with the presence of distal nodal metastasis and predicted a subset of patients at high risk of recurrence. Together, these data identify aurora kinase A activity as a regulatory pathway that intersects cell cycle progression and cell migration, with potential to influence the metastasis of estrogen receptor negative breast tumors and patient survival. Citation Format: Tony LH Chu, Jennifer Won, Oksana Nemirovsky, Abbas Fotovati, Torsten Nielsen, Christopher A Maxwell. Cell cycle regulated centrosome orientation during directed migration requires Aurora Kinase A. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr A61.