PLK1

Chr 16

polo like kinase 1

Also known as: PLK, STPK13

PLK1 encodes a serine/threonine kinase that regulates multiple critical functions during mitosis including centrosome maturation, spindle assembly, chromosome cohesion, and cytokinesis. Mutations in PLK1 cause an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by microcephaly, intellectual disability, and seizures with onset in infancy or early childhood. This gene is highly constrained against loss-of-function variants, indicating that even single functional copies are insufficient for normal development.

OMIMResearchSummary from RefSeq, UniProt
LOFmechanismLOEUF 0.31
Clinical SummaryPLK1
Population Constraint (gnomAD)
Highly constrained gene — heterozygous loss-of-function variants are very rare in the population (pLI 0.98). One damaged copy is likely sufficient to cause disease.

Population Genetics & Constraint

gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance

LoF intolerant — likely haploinsufficient
LoF Constraint
0.31LOEUF
pLI 0.979
Z-score 4.08
OE 0.12 (0.050.31)
Highly constrained

Highly LoF-intolerant (top ~10% of genes)

Missense Constraint
2.52Z-score
OE missense 0.64 (0.570.71)
241 obs / 379.3 exp
Mild constraint

Moderately missense-constrained (top ~2.5%)

Observed / Expected Ratios
LoF OE0.12 (0.050.31)
00.351.4
Missense OE0.64 (0.570.71)
00.61.4
Synonymous OE0.99
01.21.6
LoF obs/exp: 3 / 25.0Missense obs/exp: 241 / 379.3Syn Z: 0.13
DN
0.3892th %ile
GOF
0.4579th %ile
LOF
0.67top 25%

The highest-scoring mechanism for this gene is loss-of-function (haploinsufficiency).

LOFprediction above median · LOEUF 0.31

Predictions from Badonyi M, Marsh JA. PLoS ONE. 2024;19(8):e0307312. Mechanism ranking also informed by gnomAD constraint, ClinVar, and ClinGen data.

ClinVar Variant Classifications

0 submitted variants in ClinVar

Protein Context — Lollipop Plot

PLK1 · protein map & ClinVar variants

Showing all ClinVar variants across the protein. Search a specific variant to highlight its position.

3D Protein StructureAlphaFold

Clinical Trials

Active and recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov

No active trials found for this gene.

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Clinical Literature
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