Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a key regulator of cell division in eukaryotic cells. In this short review, we briefly summarized the well-established functions modulated by Plk1 during mitosis. Beyond mitosis, we focused mainly on the unexpected processes in which Plk1 emerges as a critical player, including microtubule dynamics, DNA replication, chromosome dynamics, p53 regulation, and recovery from the G2 DNA-damage checkpoint. Our discussion is mainly based on the critical substrates targeted by Plk1 during these cellular events and the functional significance associated with each phosphorylation event.
Animals ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Chromosomes ; metabolism ; DNA Replication ; Humans ; Microtubules ; metabolism ; Mitosis ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism