Spindle assembly factor required for normal assembly of mitotic spindles. Required for normal assembly of microtubules during apoptosis. Required for chromatin and/or kinetochore dependent microtubule nucleation. Mediates AURKA localization to spindle microtubules ( ). Activates AURKA by promoting its autophosphorylation at 'Thr-288' and protects this residue against dephosphorylation (, ). TPX2 is inactivated upon binding to importin-alpha . At the onset of mitosis, GOLGA2 interacts with importin-alpha, liberating TPX2 from importin-alpha, allowing TPX2 to activates AURKA kinase and stimulates local microtubule nucleation .
Subcellular locations: Nucleus, Cytoplasm, Cytoskeleton, Spindle, Cytoplasm, Cytoskeleton, Spindle pole
During mitosis it is strictly associated with the spindle pole and with the mitotic spindle, whereas during S and G2, it is diffusely distributed throughout the nucleus. Is released from the nucleus in apoptotic cells and is detected on apoptotic microtubules.
Expressed in lung carcinoma cell lines but not in normal lung tissues.