Article
Cell Biology
Mauro Salvi, Christian Borgo, Lorenzo A. Pinna, Maria Ruzzene
Summary: The newly developed compound SGC-CK2-1, which is more selective than other CK2 inhibitors, has shown poor efficacy in reducing cell growth in different cancer cell lines, raising questions about the anticancer efficacy of CX-4945, the commonly used clinical-grade CK2 inhibitor.
CELL DEATH DISCOVERY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maria Winiewska-Szajewska, Honorata Czapinska, Magdalena Kaus-Drobek, Anna Fricke, Kinga Mieczkowska, Michal Dadlez, Matthias Bochtler, Jaroslaw Poznanski
Summary: This study investigates the binding mechanism of CK2 kinase and demonstrates that the ligand pose can be controlled by electrostatic interactions rather than halogen bonding at near-neutral pH values.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Xixi Zhao, Yongkun Wei, Yu-Yi Chu, Yintao Li, Jung-Mao Hsu, Zhou Jiang, Chunxiao Liu, Jennifer L. Hsu, Wei-Chao Chang, Riyao Yang, Li-Chuan Chan, Jingkun Qu, Shuqun Zhang, Haoqiang Ying, Dihua Yu, Mien-Chie Hung
Summary: This study reveals the role of CK2 in immunosuppression by phosphorylation and stabilization of PD-L1, and suggests CK2 inhibition as a potential immunotherapeutic approach for treating cancer.
Review
Oncology
Scott W. Strum, Laszlo Gyenis, David W. Litchfield
Summary: CSNK2 is frequently dysregulated in cancer, influencing apoptosis evasion, proliferation, cell invasion/metastasis, and cell cycle control. It holds prognostic significance in various cancers, and inhibition in xenograft experiments shows positive treatment response.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Eleanor L. Atkinson, Jessica Iegre, Claudio D'Amore, Paul Brear, Mauro Salvi, Marko Hyvonen, David R. Spring
Summary: In this study, an iterative cycle of enzymatic assays, X-ray crystallography, molecular modelling and cellular assays was used to develop a functionalisable chemical probe for the investigation of CK2α/β PPI. The lead peptide, P8C9, showed successful binding to CK2α at the PPI site, and it was found to be easily synthesizable and functionalisable. The peptide also exhibited high stability in serum and had potential for further optimization.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhenlin Nie, Mu Xu, Linpeng Zhou, Bei Pan, Tao Xu, Bangshun He, Shukui Wang
Summary: Mounting evidence shows the critical role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer initiation and progression. This study reveals that small nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) acts as a key regulator of breast cancer progression. Through various assays and experiments, the study demonstrates that SNHG3 is upregulated in breast cancer tissues and its high expression is associated with poor survival. The study also uncovers the mechanism of SNHG3 action and its involvement in the malignant progression of breast cancer.
Article
Pathology
Wenjie Huang, Xuyu Zheng, Qi Huang, Danlin Weng, Shifei Yao, Cui Zhou, Qian Li, Yulian Hu, Wenchun Xu, Kun Huang
Summary: The study reveals that protein kinase CK2 is highly expressed in skin lesions of psoriasis patients and psoriasis-like mice. Inhibition of CK2 can alleviate psoriasis symptoms by reducing epidermal hyperplasia, abnormal differentiation, inflammatory cytokine production, and T cell infiltration. CK2 overexpression promotes hyper-proliferation and abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes, while its suppression reverses these effects. CK2 knockdown reduces IL-17A expression and inhibits IL-17A-induced proliferation and inflammatory response. Additionally, CK2 inhibition suppresses the activation of STAT3 and Akt signaling pathways. Therefore, CK2 may be a potential target for psoriasis treatment.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Justin D. Dietrich, Kenton L. Longenecker, Noel S. Wilson, Christian Goess, Sanjay C. Panchal, Steven L. Swann, Andrew M. Petros, Adrian D. Hobson, David Ihle, Danying Song, Paul Richardson, Kenneth M. Comess, Philip B. Cox, Amanda Dombrowski, Kathy Sarris, Diana L. Donnelly-Roberts, David B. Duignan, Arthur Gomtsyan, Paul Jung, A. Chris Krueger, Suzanne Mathieu, Andrea McClure, Vincent S. Stoll, Jill Wetter, John A. Mankovich, Philip J. Hajduk, Anil Vasudevan, Robert H. Stoffel, Chaohong Sun
Summary: TNFα is a key soluble cytokine involved in systemic inflammation, and development of drugs targeting it has proven challenging. A fragment-based drug discovery approach led to the identification of lead compounds with improved binding efficiency and drug-like properties.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Guerra, Thomas K. Doktor, Sabrina B. Frederiksen, Kumar Somyajit, Brage S. Andresen
Summary: This study identifies the protein kinase CK2 alpha as critical for maintaining replisome integrity and optimizing ATR-CHK1 signaling activation upon replication stress.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Qing Xia, Yang Shui, Hui Zhi, Aamir Ali, Zhenping Yang, Zhiqiang Gao
Summary: Through transcriptomics and metabolomics, it was found that selenium biofortification increases the concentrations of selenium, anthocyanins, chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids in colored-grain wheat. Upregulation of genes related to the biosynthesis of anthocyanins, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids after selenium treatment leads to the accumulation of anthocyanin metabolites in colored-grain wheat.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Min Qiu, Mengjun Tian, Saijiang Yong, Yaru Sun, Jingting Cao, Yaning Li, Xin Zhang, Chunhua Zhai, Wenwu Ye, Ming Wang, Yuanchao Wang
Summary: This study analyzed the transcriptomic changes in Phytophthora sojae during asexual development and host infection. Various types of genes with expression pattern differences were identified. The transcriptome dynamics during asexual stages showed higher plasticity. Three genes with functional relevance in different developmental stages were identified and shown to play significant roles in pathogenicity. These findings contribute to further gene functional annotation and crop disease management in oomycetes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chaoyang Liu, Yuehu Han, Xiaoming Gu, Man Li, Yanyan Du, Na Feng, Juan Li, Shumiao Zhang, Leonid N. Maslov, Guoen Wang, Jianming Pei, Feng Fu, Mingge Ding
Summary: This study demonstrated that paeonol protects against mitochondrial disorders and diabetic cardiomyopathy by promoting Opa1-mediated mitochondrial fusion, inhibiting oxidative stress, and activating Stat3 and CK2 alpha signaling pathways. Paeonol's interaction with CK2 alpha restores kinase activity, increasing Jak2-Stat3 phosphorylation and enhancing Opa1 transcriptional expression, providing a promising strategy for DCM treatment.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
I Dominguez, M. Cruz-Gamero, V Corasolla, N. Dacher, S. Rangasamy, A. Urbani, V Narayanan, H. Rebholz
Summary: The Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome, or OCNDS, is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, language deficits, and behavioral abnormalities. Researchers found that mutations in the CK2α gene in OCNDS patients lead to reduced kinase activity and abnormal localization, suggesting a potential underlying cause for the syndrome.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paul A. Schwein, Yun Ge, Bo Yang, Alexandria D'Souza, Alison Mody, Dacheng Shen, Christina M. Woo
Summary: This study utilized novel targeted O-GlcNAc editing tools to investigate the effect of O-GlcNAc modification on the CK2α phosphoproteome. The results showed that O-GlcNAc modification significantly enhanced specific phosphosites on HDAC1 and HDAC2.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Enerand Mackon, Guibeline Charlie Jeazet Dongho Epse Mackon, Yongqiang Guo, Yafei Ma, Yuhang Yao, Piqing Liu
Summary: Since its discovery in 2012, CRISPR and Cas9 technology has made significant contributions to molecular biology, especially in identifying gene function and improving important traits. Increasing anthocyanin content in plants has always been a major goal for plant breeding. Recently, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been used to enhance anthocyanin content in various plants with more precision. Molecular biologists, genetic engineers, agricultural scientists, plant geneticists, and physiologists can benefit from CRISPR technology to boost anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation in fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, roots, and ornamental plants.