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Updated: May 16, 2026

Quantitative Immunofluorescence Assay to Measure the Variation in Protein Levels at Centrosomes
Published on: December 20, 2014
PLK1 interacts and phosphorylates Axin that is essential for proper centrosome formation
1State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Abstract:
Abnormal amplification of centrosomes could lead to improper chromosome segregation and aneuploidy and is implicated in cancer development. Here, we demonstrate that Axin, a scaffolding protein in Wnt signaling, is phosphorylated by PLK1 during mitosis. Phosphorylation of Axin Ser-157 by PLK1 abolished Axin association with γ-tubulin, while substitution of Ser-157 with alanine exhibited sustained interaction with γ-tubulin. In addition, overexpression of Axin-S157A significantly increased the number of cells with multi-centrosomes. These results suggest that the phosphorylation status of Axin, mediated by PLK1, dynamically regulates its association with γ-tubulin and centrosome formation and segregation.
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