WEE1

WEE1​​ is a ​​serine/threonine protein kinase​​ that acts as a ​​critical regulator of the cell cycle​​, particularly at the ​​G₂/M checkpoint​​. It inhibits cell cycle progression by phosphorylating and inactivating ​​CDK1​​ (Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 1) at Tyr15, thereby preventing premature entry into mitosis and allowing time for DNA repair.Originally identified in fission yeast, WEE1 is highly conserved in mammals and plays a key role in maintaining genomic stability. Dysregulation of WEE1 is linked to ​​cancer progression​​, as its overexpression in tumors (e.g., ovarian, breast, pancreatic cancers) supports cancer cell survival by enabling DNA damage tolerance. This dependency makes WEE1 a ​​promising therapeutic target​​, especially in p53-mutant cancers where inhibiting WEE1 induces synthetic lethality by forcing cells with unrepaired DNA into catastrophic mitosis.