Targeted protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system is an essential mechanism regulating cellular division. The kinase PLK1 coordinates protein degradation at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle by promoting the binding of substrates to the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF-βTrCP. However, the magnitude to which PLK1 shapes the mitotic proteome has not been characterized. Combining deep, quantitative proteomics with pharmacologic PLK1 inhibition (PLK1i), we identified more than 200 proteins whose abundances were increased by PLK1i at G2/M. We validate many new PLK1-regulated proteins, including several substrates of the cell cycle E3 SCF-Cyclin F, demonstrating that PLK1 promotes proteolysis through at least two distinct SCF-family E3 ligases. Further, we found that the protein kinase A anchoring protein AKAP2 is cell cycle regulated and that its mitotic degradation is dependent on the PLK1/βTrCP-signaling axis. Interactome analysis revealed that the strongest interactors of AKAP2 function in signaling networks regulating proliferation, including MAPK, AKT, and Hippo. Altogether, our data demonstrate that PLK1 coordinates a widespread program of protein breakdown at G2/M. We propose that dynamic proteolytic changes mediated by PLK1 integrate proliferative signals with the core cell cycle machinery during cell division. This has potential implications in malignancies where PLK1 is aberrantly regulated.

Proteomic Analysis Reveals a PLK1-Dependent G2/M Degradation Program and Links PKA-AKAP2 to Cell Cycle Control