Centromere dysfunctions leading to numerical chromosome alterations are believed to be closely related to human cancers. As a centromere-specific protein, centromere protein A (CENP-A) replaces the histone H3 in centromeres and is therefore considered a key factor of centromere identity. Researches have shown that CENP-A is overexpressed in many types of human cancers. However, the behavior and function of CENP-A in tumorigenesis have not yet been systematically summarized. In this article, we describe the pleiotropic roles of CENP-A in human cells. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on the relationship between aberrant expression and ectopic localization of CENP-A and tumorigenesis, and the mechanism of the ectopic deposition of CENP-A in cancers. Furthermore, we note that some oncogenic viruses can modulate the expression and localization of this centromere protein along with its chaperone. At last, we also discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting CENP-A for cancer therapy.

中文翻译：

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着丝粒蛋白 A 远远超出癌症中的着丝粒

导致染色体数量改变的着丝粒功能障碍被认为与人类癌症密切相关。作为着丝粒特异性蛋白，着丝粒蛋白 A (CENP-A) 取代了着丝粒中的组蛋白 H3，因此被认为是着丝粒特性的关键因素。研究表明，CENP-A 在多种人类癌症中过度表达。然而，尚未系统地总结 CENP-A 在肿瘤发生中的行为和功能。在本文中，我们描述了 CENP-A 在人体细胞中的多效性作用。此外，我们全面回顾了目前关于 CENP-A 异常表达和异位定位与肿瘤发生之间的关系，以及 CENP-A 在癌症中异位沉积的机制的知识。此外，我们注意到一些致癌病毒可以调节这种着丝粒蛋白及其伴侣蛋白的表达和定位。最后，我们还讨论了靶向 CENP-A 用于癌症治疗的治疗潜力。