The Effect of Circumscribed Exposure to the Pan-Aurora Kinase Inhibitor VX-680 on Proliferating Euploid Cells

Small molecule inhibitors of aurora kinases are currently being investigated in oncology clinical trials. The long-term effects of these inhibitors on proliferating euploid cells have not been adequately studied. We examined the effect of the reversible pan-aurora kinase inhibitor VX-680 on p53-competent human euploid cells. Circumscribed treatment with VX-680 blocked cytokinesis and arrested cells in G1 or a G1-like status. Approximately 70% of proliferatively arrested cells had 4N DNA content and abnormal nuclei. The remaining 30% of cells possessed 2N DNA content and normal nuclei. The proliferative arrest was not due to the activation of the tumor suppressor Rb and was instead associated with rapid induction of the p53–p21 pathway and p16. The induction was particularly evident in cells with nuclear abnormalities but was independent of activation of the DNA damage response. All of these effects were correlated with the potent inhibition of aurora kinase B. After release from VX-680, the cells with normal nuclei robustly resumed proliferation whereas the cells with abnormal nuclei underwent senescence. Irrespective of their nuclear morphology or DNA content, cells pre-treated with VX-680 failed to grow in soft agar or form tumors in mice. Our findings indicate that an intermittent treatment strategy might minimize the on-target side effects of Aurora Kinase B (AURKB) inhibitory therapies. The strategy allows a significant fraction of dividing normal cells to resume proliferation.