CENP-E as a target for cancer therapy: Where are we now?

Abstract

In 2015, more than 1.6 million new cancer cases with 589,430 deaths were estimated over worldwide. Cancer is a complex disease with abnormal cell growth control which is hallmarked by chromosome misalignment and consequently genomic instability. Mitosis is a well-known target for chemotherapy as taxol and colchicines inhibit tumor cell division by inhibiting mitotic spindle plasticity. Accumulating evidence has revealed that the Centromere-associated Protein E (CENP-E) is expressed during mitosis and plays critical roles in inaccurate chromosome alignment. Thus, CENP-E might represent a druggable target for several solid tumors which do not have targeted therapy. Moreover, CENP-E appears during the mitotic phase of cell cycle and not implicates in the neuronal function. Hence, we will shed light on CENP-E as an emerging target for chemotherapy in clinical oncology and highlight challenges and excitement down the road.