The Role of Protein Kinase CK2 in Development and Disease Progression: A Critical Review
Date
2022-07-27
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Developmental Biology
Abstract
Protein kinase CK2 (CK2) is a ubiquitous holoenzyme involved in a wide array of developmental processes. The involvement of CK2 in events such as neurogenesis, cardiogenesis, skeletogenesis, and spermatogenesis is essential for the viability of almost all organisms, and its role has been conserved throughout evolution. Further into adulthood, CK2 continues to function as a key regulator of pathways affecting crucial processes such as osteogenesis, adipogenesis, chondrogenesis, neuron differentiation, and the immune response. Due to its vast role in a multitude of pathways, aberrant functioning of this kinase leads to embryonic lethality and numerous diseases and disorders, including cancer and neurological disorders. As a result, CK2 is a popular target for interventions aiming to treat the aforementioned diseases. Specifically, two CK2 inhibitors, namely CX-4945 and CIBG-300, are in the early stages of clinical testing and exhibit promise for treating cancer and other disorders. Further, other researchers around the world are focusing on CK2 to treat bone disorders. This review summarizes the current understanding of CK2 in development, the structure of CK2, the targets and signaling pathways of CK2, the implication of CK2 in disease progression, and the recent therapeutics developed to inhibit the dysregulation of CK2 function in various diseases.
Description
This article was originally published in Journal of Developmental Biology. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/jdb10030031
Keywords
casein kinase II, development, cancer, CX-4945, CIBG-300
Citation
Halloran, Daniel, Venu Pandit, and Anja Nohe. 2022. "The Role of Protein Kinase CK2 in Development and Disease Progression: A Critical Review" Journal of Developmental Biology 10, no. 3: 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/jdb10030031