Cover photograph (Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.): Expression of a Plk phosphorylation site-deficient mutation of the microtubule-stabilizing protein translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) induces an abortive mitosis followed by a micronucleated state in a percentage of expressing cells. Plk phosphorylation appears to be important for decreasing TCTP's microtubule-stabilizing activity in order to achieve the proper spindle dynamicity during mitosis. Moreover, the phenotype of the mutant TCTP is similar to those resulting from treatment with low levels of the microtubule-stabilizing drug Taxol and from microinjections of anti-Plk antibody. The TCTP mutant was expressed as a green fluorescent protein fusion (green) in HEK293 cells. The DNA was stained with propidium iodide (red), and both signals were imaged via confocal microscopy. (See related article on page 6209.)