biostudies-literatureUnknown5Inoue MThe cytotoxicity of ionizing radiation depends on the cell cycle phase; therefore, its pharmacological manipulation, especially the induction of cell cycle arrest at the radiosensitive mitotic-phase (M-phase), has been attempted for effective radiation therapy. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions in mitotic progression, and is now recognized as a potential target for radiosensitization. We herein investigated whether PLK1 blockade enhanced the cytotoxic effects of radiation by modulating cell cycle phases of cancer cells using the novel small molecule inhibitor of PLK1, TAK-960. The TAK-960 treatment exhibited radiosensitizing effects in vitro, especially when it increased the proportion of M-phase cells. TAK-960 did not sensitize cancer cells to radiationScientific reports15666https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4621528biostudies-literaturePLK1 blockade enhances therapeutic effects of radiation by inducing cell cycle arrest at the mitotic phase.PMC4621528Harada HItasaka SYoshimura MHiraoka MInoue MMorinibu AKobayashi MfalsePLK1 blockade enhances therapeutic effects of radiation by inducing cell cycle arrest at the mitotic phase.The cytotoxicity of ionizing radiation depends on the cell cycle phase; therefore, its pharmacological manipulation, especially the induction of cell cycle arrest at the radiosensitive mitotic-phase (M-phase), has been attempted for effective radiation therapy. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions in mitotic progression, and is now recognized as a potential target for radiosensitization. We herein investigated whether PLK1 blockade enhanced the cytotoxic effects of radiation by modulating cell cycle phases of cancer cells using the novel small molecule inhibitor of PLK1, TAK-960. The TAK-960 treatment exhibited radiosensitizing effects in vitro, especially when it increased the proportion of M-phase cells. TAK-960 did not sensitize cancer cells to radiation2015-01-01T00:00:00Z2015 Oct2025-04-22T21:18:58.938Z2019-03-27T02:00:49ZS-EPMC46215282650389310.1038/srep15666