Expression of Aurora kinase A and B in normal and malignant cervical tissue: High Aurora A kinase expression in squamous cervical cancer

ObjectiveAurora kinases such as Aurora A and B are key regulators of mitosis and tumorigenesis and have been reported to be overexpressed in various malignancies. However, the expression of Aurora kinases in normal and neoplastic cervical tissues remains undetermined.Study designImmunohistochemical expression of Aurora A and B kinase was examined in 20 normal cervix, 35 cervical intraepithelial neoplasm 3 (CIN 3) and 95 cervical cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (n = 76) and adenocarcinoma (AC) (n = 19). Expression of Aurora A and B kinase was confirmed by Western blot. The correlation between Aurora A and B kinases expression and the clinico-pathological parameters was analyzed by statistical analysis.ResultsThe Aurora A and B expression was significantly increased in carcinoma and CIN 3, compared with normal cervix. However, expression of Aurora A and B showed no significant correlation between CIN 3 and cervical cancer. The nuclear expression of Aurora A showed a significantly positive correlation with the expression of Aurora B (P = 0.018). The percentage of Aurora A overexpression between SCCs and ACs showed a significant difference (50% vs. 21.1%, P = 0.023). However, there was no correlation of Aurora A and B expression with patient survival.ConclusionAccording to our study, Aurora A and B overexpression is a relatively early phenomenon in the genesis of malignant epithelial neoplasm tumorigenesis. Based on the results of this study, it would be interesting to know whether Aurora kinases play a role in pathogenesis of cervical dysplasia and SCC patients.