Casein kinase 2

De-regulation of CK2 has been linked to tumorigenesis as a potential protection mechanism for mutated cells.

[3] CK2 is a protein kinase responsible for phosphorylation of substrates in various pathways within a cell; ATP or GTP can be used as phosphate source.

Another indication of separate function of α subunits is that mice that lack CK2α’ have a defect in the morphology of developing sperm.

[7] Among the array of substrates that can be altered by CK2 many of them have been found in increased prevalence in cancers of the breast, lung, colon, and prostate.

[3] In SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infected Caco-2 cells, the phosphorylase activity of CK2 is increased resulting in phosphorylation of several cytoskeletal proteins.

These infected cells also display CK2-containing filopodia protrusions associated with budding viral particles.

[8] Senhwa Biosciences and the US National Institutes of Health have announced that they will evaluate the efficacy of silmitasertib in treating COVID-19 infections.