Abstract The cell wall of plants and algae is an important cell structure that protects cells from changes in the external physical and chemical environment. This extracellular matrix, composed of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, must be constantly remodeled throughout the life cycle. However, compared to matrix polysaccharides, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the formation and degradation of matrix glycoproteins. We report here that a plant kinase belonging to the DUAL-SPECIFICITY TYROSINE PHOSPHORYLATION-REGULATED KINASE (DYRK) family present in all eukaryotes regulates cell wall degradation after mitosis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by inducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Without the plant DYRK kinase (DYRKP1), daughter cells cannot disassemble parental cell walls and remain trapped inside for more than 10 days. On the other hand, the DYRKP1 complementation line shows normal degradation of the parental cell wall. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses indicate a marked down-regulation of MMP gene expression and accumulation, respectively, in the dyrkp1 mutants. The mutants deficient in MMPs retain palmelloid structures for a longer time than the background strain, like dyrkp1 mutants. Our findings show that DYRKP1, by ensuring timely MMP expression, enables the successful execution of the cell cycle. Altogether, this study provides insight into the life cycle regulation in plants and algae.