Inhibition of Plk1 induces mitotic infidelity and embryonic growth defects in developing zebrafish embryos

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is central to cell division. Here, we report that Plk1 is critical for mitosis in the embryonic development of zebrafish. Using a combination of several cell biology tools, including single-cell live imaging applied to whole embryos, we show that Plk1 is essential for progression into mitosis during embryonic development. Plk1 morphant cells displayed mitotic infidelity, such as abnormal centrosomes, irregular spindle assembly, hypercondensed chromosomes, and a failure of chromosome arm separation. Consequently, depletion of Plk1 resulted in mitotic arrest and finally death by 6 days post-fertilization. In comparison, Plk2 or Plk3 morphant embryos did not display any significant abnormalities. Treatment of embryos with the Plk1 inhibitor, BI 2536, caused a block in mitosis, which was more severe when used to treat plk1 morphants. Finally, using an assay to rescue the Plk1 morphant phenotype, we found that the kinase domain and PBD domains are both necessary for Plk1 function in zebrafish development. Our studies demonstrate that Plk1 is required for embryonic proliferation because its activity is crucial for mitotic integrity. Furthermore, our study suggests that zebrafish will be an efficient and economical in vivo system for the validation of anti-mitotic drugs.