title: Polo-like kinases in cell cycle checkpoint control.
abstract: Recent studies from various eukaryotic model systems indicate that polo-like kinases (Plks) play an ever-increasing role in the regulation of cell cycle progression. Early genetic studies have demonstrated that Cdc5, a budding yeast counterpart of vertebrate Plks, is essential for mitosis. Mammalian Plks primarily localize to the microtubule organization center during interphase and undergo dramatic subcellular relocation during mitotic progression. Many key cell cycle regulators such as p53, Cdc25C, cyclin B, and components of the anaphase promoting complex are directly targeted by Plks. Although the exact mechanisms of action of these protein kinases in vivo remain to be elucidated, Plks appear to orchestrate various cell cycle checkpoints (intra-S phase, G2/M transition, spindle assembly, and cytokinesis checkpoints) that protect cells against genetic instability during cell division.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA. wei_dai@nymc.edu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ruan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D000097868:Polo-like Kinases; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C486256:PLK3 protein, human; D000097868:Polo-like Kinases; C438873:PlK2 protein, Xenopus; C101085:Plk1 protein, Xenopus; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1