Background
Serine/threonine-protein kinase that performs several important functions throughout M phase of the cell cycle, including the regulation of centrosome maturation and spindle assembly, the removal of cohesins from chromosome arms, the inactivation of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitors, and the regulation of mitotic exit and cytokinesis (PubMed:11202906, PubMed:12207013, PubMed:12447691, PubMed:12524548, PubMed:12738781, PubMed:12852856, PubMed:12939256, PubMed:14532005, PubMed:14734534, PubMed:15070733, PubMed:15148369, PubMed:15469984, PubMed:16198290, PubMed:16247472, PubMed:16980960, PubMed:17081991, PubMed:17351640, PubMed:17376779, PubMed:17617734, PubMed:18174154, PubMed:18331714, PubMed:18418051, PubMed:18477460, PubMed:18521620, PubMed:18615013, PubMed:19160488, PubMed:19351716, PubMed:19468300, PubMed:19468302, PubMed:19473992, PubMed:19509060, PubMed:19597481, PubMed:23455478, PubMed:23509069, PubMed:28512243, PubMed:8991084).
Polo-like kinase proteins act by binding and phosphorylating proteins that are already phosphorylated on a specific motif recognized by the POLO box domains (PubMed:11202906, PubMed:12207013, PubMed:12447691, PubMed:12524548, PubMed:12738781, PubMed:12852856, PubMed:12939256, PubMed:14532005, PubMed:14734534, PubMed:15070733, PubMed:15148369, PubMed:15469984, PubMed:16198290, PubMed:16247472, PubMed:16980960, PubMed:17081991, PubMed:17351640, PubMed:17376779, PubMed:17617734, PubMed:18174154, PubMed:18331714, PubMed:18418051, PubMed:18477460, PubMed:18521620, PubMed:18615013, PubMed:19160488, PubMed:19351716, PubMed:19468300, PubMed:19468302, PubMed:19473992, PubMed:19509060, PubMed:19597481, PubMed:23455478, PubMed:23509069, PubMed:28512243, PubMed:8991084).