HEF1-Aurora A Interactions

Abstract

Regulated timing of cell division cycles, and geometrical precision in the planar orien-tation of cell division, are critical during organismal development and remain important for the maintenance of polarized structures in adults. Mounting evidence suggests that these processes are coordinated at the centrosome through the action of proteins that mediate both cell cycle and cell attachment. Our recent work identifying HEF1 as anactivator of the Aurora A kinase suggests a novel hub for such integrated signaling. Wesuggest that defects in components of the machinery specifying the temporal and spatial integration of cell division may induce cancer and other diseases through pleiotropic effects on cell migration, proliferation, apoptosis, and genomic stability.