The substrates of Plk1, beyond the functions in mitosis

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.