Polo Kinase in Mitotic Controls and Tumorigenesis
National Institutes of Health, U. S. A.

Dr. Kyung Lee

A postdoctoral fellowship is available to study the function of mammalian polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) and its interacting proteins in normal and cancer cell proliferation. Plk1 plays a pivotal role in proper mitotic progression and its deregulation is tightly associated with oncogenesis. We have been studying various centrosomal and kinetochore proteins that are critical for both subcellular localization and mitotic/non-mitotic functions of Plk1. Projects include, but are not limited to, the mechanisms of various Plk1-mediated cellular events and differential functions of Plk1 and its associated proteins during normal cell cycle progression, tumorigenesis, and stem cell proliferation.

Applicants should be a Ph.D. or M.D. with less than 3 years of postdoctoral experience. Expertise in cell biology, biochemistry, and stem biology is preferred. Visit https://ccrod.cancer.gov/confluence/display/CCRKLEE/Home for additional information. Salary starts at $49,400 plus health insurance with no previous postdoctoral training. To apply, send CV to Dr. Kyung Lee (kyunglee@mail.nih.gov), National Cancer Institute, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, U. S. A.
Selected Publications:

Kang, Y.-H., et al. 2006. Self-regulated Plk1 recruitment to kinetochores by the Plk1-PBIP1 interaction is critical for proper chromosome segregation. Mol. Cell 24:409-422.

Soung NK, et al. 2009. Plk1-dependent and -independent roles of an ODF2 splice variant, hCenexin1, at the centrosome of somatic cells. Dev. Cell 16: 539-550.

Park JE, et al. 2009. Direct quantification of polo-like kinase 1 activity in cells and tissues using a highly sensitive and specific ELISA assay. PNAS USA. 106:1725-1730.

Yun SM, et al. 2009. Structural and functional analyses of minimal phosphopeptides targeting the polo-box domain of polo-like kinase 1. Nat. Str. & Mol. Biol. 16:876-882.

Park, J. -E., et al. 2011. Feed-forward mechanism of converting biochemical cooperativity to mitotic processes at the kinetochore plate. PNAS USA. 108:8200-5.

Johmura Y, et al. 2011. Regulation of microtubule-based microtubule nucleation by mammalian polo-like kinase 1. PNAS USA. 108:11446-11451.

Liu F, et al. 2011. Serendipitous alkylation of a Plk1 ligand uncovers a new binding channel. Nat. Chem. Biol. 7:595-601.

This position is subject to a background investigation. The NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.