title: Role of NEK2A in human cancer and its therapeutic potentials.
abstract: Chromosome instability (CIN) has been identified as a common feature of most human cancers. A number of centrosomal kinases are thought to cause CIN in cancer cells. Part of those centrosomal kinases exhibit elevated expression in a wide variety of tumours and cancer cell lines. Additionally, critical roles in many aspects of cancer cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance have been assigned to some of these centrosomal kinases, such as polo-like kinase 1 (PLk1) and Aurora-A kinase. Recent studies from our group and others revealed that a centrosomal kinase, Never in Mitosis (NIMA) Related Kinase 2A (NEK2A), is frequently upregulated in multiple types of human cancers. Uncontrolled activity of NEK2A activates several oncogenic pathways and ABC transporters, thereby leading to CIN, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and enhanced drug resistance. In this paper, we highlight recent findings on the aberrant expression and functional significance of NEK2A in human cancers and emphasize their significance for therapeutic potentials.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China.
authors.forename: Jiliang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Reinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franqui Machin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2800-8333
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Fenghuang
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6208-1676
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhan
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D000072379:NIMA-Related Kinases; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: C089441:NEK2 protein, human; D000072379:NIMA-Related Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases