Working hard for recovery: mitotic kinases in the DNA damage checkpoint

Cell division in mitosis is tightly regulated via a group of protein kinases. Activation of these mitotic kinases is inhibited by the DNA damage checkpoint that arrests the cell cycle in interphase and prevents mitotic entry. Interestingly, it has been shown that the DNA damage checkpoint is feedback regulated by several mitotic kinases. These kinases are reactivated from checkpoint arrest to deactivate the checkpoint and restart cell cycle progression, thereby allowing the cell to recover from the DNA damage checkpoint. The emerging role of mitotic kinases in the DNA damage pathway provides important insights into cancer progression and treatment.