Ohio University’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Colloquium Series presents Dr. Xiaoqi Liu, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana on “Polo-Like Kinase 1 in Cancer Metabolish and Treatment” on Monday, March 7, at 4:35 p.m. in Clippinger Laboratories 194.
Xiaoqi Liu
ABSTRACT: Precise temporal control of the cell cycle ensures high fidelity of DNA replication/segregation and is critical for the normal development and continued health of multicellular organisms. For example, accumulation of errors in DNA during normal cell cycle progression can eventually lead to cancer formation. Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) has emerged as a key player in many cell cycle-related events. Significantly, a close correlation between Plk1 expression and carcinogenesis has been documented, and overexpression of Plk1 has been observed in various human tumors such as prostate and pancreatic cancer. Thus, it was proposed that Plk1 could serve as a novel diagnostic marker for cancers and that its inhibition might be a novel approach for cancer therapy. Indeed, several Plk1 inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for patients with various cancers. By examining the functions of Plk1 in different cellular events such as cell division and energy metabolism, I will determine how Plk1 contributes to cancer formation, thus providing novel avenues for cancer therapy.
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