Progress of Study on the Relationship Between the Spindle Checkpoint and Carcinoma

The spindle checkpoint is an important cell-cycle surveillance mechanism that ensures the fidelity of chromosome segregation during mitosis and is required for genetic stability.It has become increasingly clear that malfunction of the cell-cycle surveillance mechanism involving the spindle checkpoint contributes to cancer formation.Accumulated evidence shows that deregulated expression,genotypic polymorphism or promoter methylation of the mitotic checkpoint components are associated with tumourigenesis.Anti-cancer drugs disrupt the normal function of the mitotic spindle and cause spindle checkpoint-mediated mitotic arrest and/or apoptosis.Delineating the precise regulatory mechanisms of the spindle checkpoint will provide novel effective strategies in anticancer treatment.