Plk1 and its downstream targets, including mitotic spindle positioning (MISP), RhoGDI1, and FoxM1, regulate proliferative and invasive capabilities through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transition in cancer cells (Lim et al., 2024; Pan et al., 2024; Xu et al., 2023). Here, PLK1 is linked to cancer.