Citron Kinase, a mitotic kinase with increasing significance in cancer.

Cell division is an essential process required to maintain homeostasis. It must be tightly coordinated to allow the faithful transmission of the genetic material, and its regulation involves numerous partners. While some of them are well-characterized (e.g. Cyclin-Dependent Kinases, Aurora Kinases, …), others are still poorly understood. Citron Kinase (CitK) plays key roles during mitosis and cytokinesis, although its functions remain to be fully elucidated. In addition, its roles are not restricted to cytokinesis, and CitK also comes into play at earlier stages of cell division. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests a role for CitK during tumorigenesis. Several studies have pointed to the potential of targeting CitK in the context of cancer treatment and hopefully this will bring attention to this largely understudied kinase. This review focuses on the different functions of Citron Kinase throughout the cell cycle to highlight its importance during cell division as well as its significance in cancer and its potential as a target for cancer therapy.