 activation of mitosis promoting factor ( mpf ) drives mitotic commitment1 . in human cells active 
 mpf appears first on centrosomes2 . 
 we show that local activation of mpf on the equivalent organelle of fission yeast , the spindle pole body ( spb ) , promotes polo kinase activity at the spbs long before global mpf activation drives mitotic commitment . artificially promoting mpf or 
 polo activity at various locations revealed that this local control of plo1 activity on g2 phase spbs dictates the timing of mitotic commitment . 
 cytokinesis of the rod shaped fission yeast cell generates a nave  new  cell end . 
 growth is restricted to the experienced old end until a point in g2 phase called  new end take off  ( neto ) when bipolar growth is triggered3 . 
 neto coincided with mpf activation of plo1 on g2 phase spbs4 . 
 both mpf and polo activities were required for neto and both induced neto when ectopically activated at interphase spbs . 
 neto promotion by mpf required polo . 
 thus , local mpf activation on g2 spbs directs polo kinase to control at least two distinct and temporally separated , cell cycle transitions at remote locations . 
Supplementary Material