Polo and Aurora kinases — lessons derived from chemical biology

During the cell division cycle, mitotic entry, spindle assembly, chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis must all be carefully coordinated to ensure that the two daughter cells inherit all the genetic material required for further growth and development. Central to this coordination are several protein kinases including Aurora A, Aurora B, and the Polo-like kinase, Plk1. A number of small-molecule Aurora and Plk1 inhibitors have been developed because these kinases are seen as attractive anticancer drug targets. These inhibitors are now being widely used as chemical biology tools to understand how these kinases ensure faithful genome transmission.