Work

Mutation of the polo-box disrupts localization and mitotic functions of the mammalian polo kinase Plk

Year: 1998

Type: article

Abstract: Members of the polo subfamily of protein kinases play pivotal roles in cell proliferation. In addition to the kinase domain, polo kinases have a strikingly conserved sequence in the noncatalytic domain, termed the polo-box. The function of the polo-box is currently undefined. The mammalian polo-like kinase Plk is a functional homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc5. Here, we show that Plk localizes at the spindle poles and cytokinetic neck filaments. Without impairing kinase activity, a conservative mutation in the polo-box disrupts the capacity of Plk to complement the defect associated with a cdc5-1 temperature-sensitive mutation and to localize to these subcellular structures. Our data provide evidence that the polo-box plays a critical role in Plk function, likely by directing its subcellular localization.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.16.9301

Authors: Kyung S. Lee, Tallessyn Z. Grenfell, Frederic R. Yarm, Raymond L. Erikson

Institutions: Harvard University, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Language: English

Topic: Microtubule and mitosis dynamics

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Award: BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE CANCER CELL