Protein kinase CK2 is important for the function of glioblastoma brain tumor initiating cells.

ABSTRACT: Protein kinase CK2 is a ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine kinase composed of two catalytic subunits (α) and/or (α') and two regulatory (β) subunits. The expression and kinase activity of CK2 is elevated in many different cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). Brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) are a subset of cells that are highly tumorigenic and promote the resistance of GBM to current therapies. We previously reported that CK2 activity promotes prosurvival signaling in GBM. In this study, the role of CK2 signaling in BTIC function was examined. We found that expression of CK2α was increased in CD133⁺ BTICs compared to CD133^- cells within the same GBM xenolines. Treatment with CX-4945, an ATP-competitive inhibitor of CK2, led to reduced expression of Sox2 and

SUBMITTER: Rowse AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5492387 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature