TAp63-miRNA-AURKA Axis as a Therapeutic Target for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Despite increasing incidence rates, prognosis of invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma remains poor, mainly due to lack of reliable molecular markers that can be used for targeted therapy. Through genetic and proteogenomic analyses, Davis and colleagues in this issue of Cancer Research define TAp63 and its downstream target miRNAs, miR-30c-2*, and miR-497 as major players that can suppress progression and metastasis of mouse and human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Mimics of miR-30c-2* or miR-497, as well as pharmacologic inhibition of AURKA, a miR-497 target, suppress tumor growth in xenograft mouse models, proposing the TAp63-miR-30c-2*/miR-497-AURKA axis as a potential therapeutic target.