The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the polo family of serine/threonine protein kinases that have a role in normal cell division. This gene is most abundantly expressed in testis, spleen and fetal tissues, and its expression is inducible by serum, suggesting that it may also play an important role in cells undergoing rapid cell division. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2011]
Forensic Context
A study in human keratinocytes demonstrated that the PLK2 is a direct target of miR-126, where its expression is negatively correlated with miR-126 levels during skin wound healing, and its overexpression inhibited cell viability, colony formation, and migration [Chang et al. DOI:10.1002/cbin.11088]. In a separate study using human mesenchymal stem cells and a mouse fracture model, the PLK2 was identified as a predicted target of miR-126, though its protein expression level was unchanged after miR-126 knockdown in the context of exosome treatment [Liu et al. DOI:10.1016/j.actbio.2019.12.020].