A novel role of AURKA kinase in erythroblast enucleation

Haematologica. 2024 Nov 1;109(11):3721-3734. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2023.284873.

Abstract

Generation of mammalian red blood cells requires the expulsion of polarized nuclei late in terminal erythroid differentiation. However, the mechanisms by which spherical erythroblasts determine the direction of nuclear polarization and maintain asymmetry during nuclear expulsion are poorly understood. Given the analogy of erythroblast enucleation to asymmetric cell division and the key role of Aurora kinases in mitosis, we sought to investigate the function of Aurora kinases in erythroblast enucleation. We found that AURKA (Aurora kinase A) is abundantly expressed in orthochromatic erythroblasts. Intriguingly, high-resolution confocal microscopy analyses revealed that AURKA co-localized with the centrosome on the side of the nucleus opposite its membrane contact point during polarization and subsequently translocated to the anterior end of the protrusive nucleus upon nuclear exit. Mechanistically, AURKA regulated centrosome maturation and localization via interaction with γ-tubulin to provide polarization orientation for the nucleus. Furthermore, we identified ECT2 (epithelial cell transforming 2), a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, as a new interacting protein and ubiquitination substrate of AURKA. After forming the nuclear protrusion, AURKA translocated to the anterior end of the protrusive nucleus to directly degrade ECT2, which is partly dependent on kinase activity of AURKA. Moreover, knockdown of ECT2 rescued impaired enucleation caused by AURKA inhibition. Our findings have uncovered a previously unrecognized role of Aurora kinases in the establishment of nuclear polarization and eventual nuclear extrusion and provide new mechanistic insights into erythroblast enucleation.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aurora Kinase A* / genetics
  • Aurora Kinase A* / metabolism
  • Cell Nucleus* / metabolism
  • Centrosome* / metabolism
  • Erythroblasts* / cytology
  • Erythroblasts* / metabolism
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Humans
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins

Substances

  • Aurora Kinase A
  • AURKA protein, human
  • ECT2 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins

Grants and funding

Funding: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82270124, 81870095 and 82370125); Program for Science and Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province (No. 23HASTIT040); Science and Technology Development Program of Henan Province (Nos. 232300421056 and 232102311141); Young Backbone Teacher Training program in Universities of Henan Province (No. 2021GGJS013) and Scientific Programs of Zhengzhou University (No. 2022RC0329020401231).