Plk1 puts a (Has)pin on the mitotic histone code

Haspin is an atypical mitotic kinase that phosphorylates histone H3 on threonine 3 (H3T3), which is required to target Aurora B to centromeres. However, how Haspin is activated upon mitotic entry remained unknown. Two independent studies, published in Molecular Cell and in this issue of EMBO reports by Ghenoiu et al and Zhou et al, respectively, now show that Plk1 is responsible for Haspin activation as a H3T3 kinase. These results shed light on the spatiotemporal regulation of Aurora B to ensure mitotic fidelity.