On the bright side, polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is considered a master regulator of the ever-important cell cycle. On the dark side, PLK1 expression (at both the mRNA and protein level) has shown to be upregulated in tumor cells, suggesting that PLK1 may also contribute to tumorigenesis. Despite this direct association, researchers studying the role of PLK1 in cancer have encountered a problem: a lack of appropriate animal models for experimentation. “Even though studies have suggested that PLK1 contributes to tumorigenesis, the ability of PLK1 to drive oncogenic transformation on its own in vivo was still questionable due to a lack of sophisticated animal models for experimentation [18, 19].” This problem may have been solved in 2021. In a new editorial paper, researchers Lilia Gheghiani and Zheng Fu from Virginia Commonwealth University discuss a recent study using their team’s new genetically engineered mouse (GEM) model to assess the ability of PLK1 to be a sole driver of oncogenic transformation in vivo. Their editorial was published in Oncotarget’s Volume 14 on June 27, 2023, and entitled, “The dark side of PLK1: Implications for cancer and genomic instability.” Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2023/06/29/novel-gem-model-unveils-plk1s-role-in-tumorigenesis/ Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28456 Correspondence to - Zheng Fu - zheng.fu@vcuhealth.org Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28456 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), oncogene, chromosomal instability, cell cycle checkpoints, tumorigenesis About Oncotarget Oncotarget is a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal. Papers are published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form, and then quickly released to Pubmed. On September 15, 2022, Oncotarget was accepted again for indexing by MEDLINE. Oncotarget is now indexed by Medline/PubMed and PMC/PubMed. To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/oncotarget Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Media Contact MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM 18009220957