The multifaceted roles of PLK4

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Years of carefully planned and carried out experiments has determined that the protein called Polo like kinase 4 (PLK4), is a major regulator of centrosome duplication. Centrosomes are small organelles, which are involved in ensuring that the genetic information in cells is passed on equally when a cell divides. PLK4 is a member of a group of proteins known as kinases. These proteins modify the structure and thereby the function or activity of proteins that they interact with. We and others have focused on establishing that alterations of PLK4 levels, either due to an increase or a decrease, have a detrimental effect on cells. PLK4 plays an important role during development, as mouse lacking one allele of