Fig. 6: AURKA inhibitors destabilize microtubules in RB1^−/− lung cancer cells.

a, b RB1-isogenic cells were treated with 2.5 μM ENMD-2076 (ENMD) or 25 nM vinorelbine (VNR) for 24 h, and the cells were processed for immunostaining of tyrosinated tubulin (Tyr-tubulin), DNA, and actin (phalloidin) (a). Scale bars, 20 µm. The total area of the cell defined by actin (phalloidin) staining was calculated and the ratio of microtubule polymers (defined by Tyr-tubulin) to cell area was determined as the polymerization index (b) as described in Methods. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 3 independent experiments). **P < 0.01 between two indicated groups, determined using two-sided Student’s t test. c, d RB1-isogenic cells were treated with 25 nM AURKA siRNA (siAURKA) or control siRNA (siCTRL) for 48 h, and the cells were processed for immunostaining to determine microtubule polymerization index as described above. Scale bars, 20 µm. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 3 independent experiments). **P < 0.01 between two indicated groups, determined using two-sided Student’s t test.