1
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Hussain S, Guo Y, Huo Y, Shi J, Hou Y. Regulation of cancer progression by CK2: an emerging therapeutic target. Med Oncol 2024; 41:94. [PMID: 38526625 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-024-02316-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Casein kinase II (CK2) is an enzyme with pleiotropic kinase activity that catalyzes the phosphorylation of lots of substrates, including STAT3, p53, JAK2, PTEN, RELA, and AKT, leading to the regulation of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, angiogenesis, and tumor progression. CK2 is observed to have high expression in multiple types of cancer, which is associated with poor prognosis. CK2 holds significant importance in the intricate network of pathways involved in promoting cell proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, and tumor growth by multiple pathways such as JAK2/STAT3, PI3K/AKT, ATF4/p21, and HSP90/Cdc37. In addition to the regulation of cancer progression, increasing evidence suggests that CK2 could regulate tumor immune responses by affecting immune cell activity in the tumor microenvironment resulting in the promotion of tumor immune escape. Therefore, inhibition of CK2 is initially proposed as a pivotal candidate for cancer treatment. In this review, we discussed the role of CK2 in cancer progression and tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakeel Hussain
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yilei Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Huo
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Juanjuan Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongzhong Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Patel S, Vyas VK, Sharma M, Ghate M. Structure-guided discovery of adenosine triphosphate-competitive casein kinase 2 inhibitors. Future Med Chem 2023; 15:987-1014. [PMID: 37307219 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a ubiquitous, highly pleiotropic serine-threonine kinase. CK2 has been identified as a potential drug target for the treatment of cancer and related disorders. Several adenosine triphosphate-competitive CK2 inhibitors have been identified and have progressed at different levels of clinical trials. This review presents details of CK2 protein, structural insights into adenosine triphosphate binding pocket, current clinical trial candidates and their analogues. Further, it includes the emerging structure-based drug design approaches, chemistry, structure-activity relationship and biological screening of potent and selective CK2 inhibitors. The authors tabulated the details of CK2 co-crystal structures because these co-crystal structures facilitated the structure-guided discovery of CK2 inhibitors. The narrow hinge pocket compared with related kinases provides useful insights into the discovery of CK2 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Vivek K Vyas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Manmohan Sharma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Manjunath Ghate
- School of Pharmacy, National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382007, India
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3
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Lee SD, Jeong H, Hwang BR, Yu BM, Cho Y, Nam KT, Kim H, Lee YC. Helicobacter pylori promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by downregulating CK2β in gastric cancer cells. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2023; 1869:166588. [PMID: 36404440 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Strains of Helicobacter pylori that are positive for the oncoprotein CagA (cytotoxin-associated gene A) are associated with gastric cancer and might be related to the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that plays a major role in tumorigenesis through signaling pathways related to the EMT. However, the role played by the interaction between CagA and CK2 in gastric carcinogenesis is poorly understood. Although CK2α protein expression remained unchanged during H. pylori infection, we found that CK2α kinase activity was increased in gastric epithelial cells. We also found that the CK2β protein level decreased in H. pylori-infected gastric cancer cells in CagA-dependent manner and demonstrated that CagA induced CK2β degradation via HDM2 (human double minute 2; its murine equivalent is MDM2). We observed that CagA induced HDM2 protein phosphorylation and that p53 levels were decreased in H. pylori-infected gastric cancer cells. In addition, downregulation of CK2β induced AKT Ser473 phosphorylation and decreased the AKT Ser129 phosphorylation level in gastric cancer cells. We also found that the downregulation of CK2β triggered the upregulation of Snail levels in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, our in vivo experiments and functional assays of migration and colony formation suggest that CK2β downregulation is a major factor responsible for the EMT in gastric cancer. Therefore, CK2 could be a key mediator of the EMT in H. pylori-infected gastric cancer and could serve as a molecular target for gastric cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Dam Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Haengdueng Jeong
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo Ram Hwang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byeong Min Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yejin Cho
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Teak Nam
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunki Kim
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Chan Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Mitrovský O, Myslivcová D, Macháčková-Lopotová T, Obr A, Čermáková K, Ransdorfová Š, Březinová J, Klamová H, Žáčková M. Inhibition of casein kinase 2 induces cell death in tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia cells. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284876. [PMID: 37141212 PMCID: PMC10159124 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease characterized by the BCR-ABL oncogene. Despite the high performance of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), about 30% of patients develop resistance to the therapy. To improve the outcomes, identification of new targets of treatment is needed. Here, we explored the Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) as a potential target for CML therapy. Previously, we detected increased phosphorylation of HSP90β Serine 226 in patients non-responding to TKIs imatinib and dasatinib. This site is known to be phosphorylated by CK2, which was also linked to CML resistance to imatinib. In the present work, we established six novel imatinib- and dasatinib-resistant CML cell lines, all of which had increased CK2 activation. A CK2 inhibitor, CX-4945, induced cell death of CML cells in both parental and resistant cell lines. In some cases, CK2 inhibition also potentiated the effects of TKI on the cell metabolic activity. No effects of CK2 inhibition were observed in normal mononuclear blood cells from healthy donors and BCR-ABL negative HL60 cell line. Our data indicate that CK2 kinase supports CML cell viability even in cells with different mechanisms of resistance to TKI, and thus represents a potential target for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mitrovský
- Department of Proteomics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Denisa Myslivcová
- Department of Proteomics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | | | - Adam Obr
- Department of Proteomics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Čermáková
- Laboratory of PCR Diagnostics of Leukemias, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Ransdorfová
- Department of Cytogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Březinová
- Department of Cytogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Klamová
- Clinical Division, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Žáčková
- Department of Proteomics, Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague 2, Czech Republic
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5
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Nipun VB, Amin KA. Recent Advances in Protein Kinase CK2, a Potential Therapeutic Target in Cancer. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2022; 48:919-931. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162022050144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- V. B. Nipun
- Cancer Research Center, Shantou University Medical Collage, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, PR China
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - K. A. Amin
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
- Basic and Applied Scientific Research Center, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal university, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia
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6
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Brear P, De Fusco C, Atkinson EL, Iegre J, Francis-Newton NJ, Venkitaraman AR, Hyvönen M, Spring DR. A fragment-based approach leading to the discovery of inhibitors of CK2α with a novel mechanism of action. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:1420-1426. [DOI: 10.1039/d2md00161f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of a novel CK2α inhibitor from a fragment-based screen with a proposed novel mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Brear
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA, Cambridge, UK
| | - Claudia De Fusco
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eleanor L. Atkinson
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jessica Iegre
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicola J. Francis-Newton
- Medical Research Council Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK
| | - Ashok R. Venkitaraman
- Medical Research Council Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599 & DITL, IMCB, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove, 138648, Singapore
| | - Marko Hyvönen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA, Cambridge, UK
| | - David R. Spring
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UK
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7
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Targeting CK2 in cancer: a valuable strategy or a waste of time? Cell Death Discov 2021; 7:325. [PMID: 34716311 PMCID: PMC8555718 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-021-00717-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
CK2 is a protein kinase involved in several human diseases (ranging from neurological and cardiovascular diseases to autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and infections, including COVID-19), but its best-known implications are in cancer, where it is considered a pharmacological target. Several CK2 inhibitors are available and clinical trials are underway in different cancer types. Recently, the suitability of CK2 as a broad anticancer target has been questioned by the finding that a newly developed compound, named SGC-CK2-1, which is more selective than any other known CK2 inhibitor, is poorly effective in reducing cell growth in different cancer lines, prompting the conclusion that the anticancer efficacy of CX-4945, the commonly used clinical-grade CK2 inhibitor, is to be attributed to its off-target effects. Here we perform a detailed scrutiny of published studies on CK2 targeting and a more in-depth analysis of the available data on SGC-CK2-1 vs. CX-4945 efficacy, providing a different perspective about the actual reliance of cancer cells on CK2. Collectively taken, our arguments would indicate that the pretended dispensability of CK2 in cancer is far from having been proved and warn against premature conclusions, which could discourage ongoing investigations on a potentially valuable drug target.
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8
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Protein kinase CK2: a potential therapeutic target for diverse human diseases. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:183. [PMID: 33994545 PMCID: PMC8126563 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00567-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
CK2 is a constitutively active Ser/Thr protein kinase, which phosphorylates hundreds of substrates, controls several signaling pathways, and is implicated in a plethora of human diseases. Its best documented role is in cancer, where it regulates practically all malignant hallmarks. Other well-known functions of CK2 are in human infections; in particular, several viruses exploit host cell CK2 for their life cycle. Very recently, also SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has been found to enhance CK2 activity and to induce the phosphorylation of several CK2 substrates (either viral and host proteins). CK2 is also considered an emerging target for neurological diseases, inflammation and autoimmune disorders, diverse ophthalmic pathologies, diabetes, and obesity. In addition, CK2 activity has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, as cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, and cardiac hypertrophy. The hypothesis of considering CK2 inhibition for cystic fibrosis therapies has been also entertained for many years. Moreover, psychiatric disorders and syndromes due to CK2 mutations have been recently identified. On these bases, CK2 is emerging as an increasingly attractive target in various fields of human medicine, with the advantage that several very specific and effective inhibitors are already available. Here, we review the literature on CK2 implication in different human pathologies and evaluate its potential as a pharmacological target in the light of the most recent findings.
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9
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Borgo C, D'Amore C, Cesaro L, Sarno S, Pinna LA, Ruzzene M, Salvi M. How can a traffic light properly work if it is always green? The paradox of CK2 signaling. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 56:321-359. [PMID: 33843388 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1908951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
CK2 is a constitutively active protein kinase that assuring a constant level of phosphorylation to its numerous substrates supports many of the most important biological functions. Nevertheless, its activity has to be controlled and adjusted in order to cope with the varying needs of a cell, and several examples of a fine-tune regulation of its activity have been described. More importantly, aberrant regulation of this enzyme may have pathological consequences, e.g. in cancer, chronic inflammation, neurodegeneration, and viral infection. Our review aims at summarizing our current knowledge about CK2 regulation. In the first part, we have considered the most important stimuli shown to affect protein kinase CK2 activity/expression. In the second part, we focus on the molecular mechanisms by which CK2 can be regulated, discussing controversial aspects and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Borgo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Claudio D'Amore
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Cesaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Stefania Sarno
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Lorenzo A Pinna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,CNR Institute of Neurosciences, Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,CNR Institute of Neurosciences, Padova, Italy
| | - Mauro Salvi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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10
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Wang Y, Wang X, Xu G, Gou S. Novel CK2-Specific Pt(II) Compound Reverses Cisplatin-Induced Resistance by Inhibiting Cancer Cell Stemness and Suppressing DNA Damage Repair in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treatments. J Med Chem 2021; 64:4163-4178. [PMID: 33784109 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have a pivotal impact in drug resistance, tumor metastasis, and progression of various cancer entities, including in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A CK2 inhibitor HY1 was found to show potent CSC inhibitory effects in A549 cells. By taking advantage of inherent CK2 specificity and CSC inhibition of HY1, a Pt(II) agent (HY1-Pt) was developed by conjugation of HY1 with an active Pt(II) unit to reverse cisplatin-induced resistance in A549/cDDP cell treatment. In vitro biological studies indicated that HY1-Pt can target CK2, suppress DNA damage repair, reinforce cellular accumulation of platinum, and reverse resistance apart from effectively inhibiting CSCs through Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway in A549/cDDP cells. Significantly, HY1-Pt presented an acceptable pharmacokinetic behavior and exhibited higher tumor growth inhibitory efficacy than cisplatin either in A549 or A549/cDDP xenograft models with low toxicity. Overall, HY1-Pt is a promising drug candidate for NSCLC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjiang Wang
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Gang Xu
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
| | - Shaohua Gou
- Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
- Pharmaceutical Research Center and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, PR China
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11
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Chojnacki K, Lindenblatt D, Wińska P, Wielechowska M, Toelzer C, Niefind K, Bretner M. Synthesis, biological properties and structural study of new halogenated azolo[4,5-b]pyridines as inhibitors of CK2 kinase. Bioorg Chem 2020; 106:104502. [PMID: 33317841 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The new halogenated 1H-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridines and 1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines were synthesised as analogues of known CK2 inhibitors: 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzotriazole (TBBt) and 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole (TBBi). Their influence on the activity of recombinant human CK2α, CK2α' and PIM1 kinases was determined. The most active inhibitors were di- and trihalogenated 1H-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridines (4a, 5a and 10a) with IC50 values 2.56, 3.82 and 3.26 μM respectively for CK2α. Furthermore, effect on viability of cancer cell lines MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma) and CCRF-CEM (T lymphoblast leukemia) of all final compounds was evaluated. Finally, three crystal structures of complexes of CK2α1-335 with inhibitors 4a, 5a and 10a were obtained. In addition, new protocol was used to obtain high-resolution crystal structures of CK2α'Cys336Ser in complex with four inhibitors (4a, 5a, 5b, 10a).
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Affiliation(s)
- K Chojnacki
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - D Lindenblatt
- Department für Chemie, Institut für Biochemie, Universtät zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47, D-50674 Köln, Germany
| | - P Wińska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Wielechowska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland
| | - C Toelzer
- Department für Chemie, Institut für Biochemie, Universtät zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47, D-50674 Köln, Germany
| | - K Niefind
- Department für Chemie, Institut für Biochemie, Universtät zu Köln, Zülpicher Straße 47, D-50674 Köln, Germany
| | - M Bretner
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland
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12
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Dalle Vedove A, Zonta F, Zanforlin E, Demitri N, Ribaudo G, Cazzanelli G, Ongaro A, Sarno S, Zagotto G, Battistutta R, Ruzzene M, Lolli G. A novel class of selective CK2 inhibitors targeting its open hinge conformation. Eur J Med Chem 2020; 195:112267. [PMID: 32283296 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Protein kinase CK2 sustains cancer growth, especially in hematological malignancies. Its inhibitor SRPIN803, based on a 6-methylene-5-imino-1,3,4-thiadiazolopyrimidin-7-one scaffold, showed notable specificity. Our synthesis of the initially proposed SRPIN803 resulted in its constitutional isomer SRPIN803-revised, where the 2-cyano-2-propenamide group does not cyclise and fuse to the thiadiazole ring. Its crystallographic structure in complex with CK2α identifies the structural determinants of the reported specificity. SRPIN803-revised explores the CK2 open hinge conformation, extremely rare among kinases, also interacting with side chains from this region. Its optimization lead to the more potent compound 4, which inhibits endocellular CK2, significantly affects viability of tumour cells and shows remarkable selectivity on a panel of 320 kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Dalle Vedove
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesca Zonta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and CNR Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Enrico Zanforlin
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Nicola Demitri
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34149, Basovizza-Trieste, Italy
| | - Giovanni Ribaudo
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giulia Cazzanelli
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy
| | - Alberto Ongaro
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123, Brescia, Italy
| | - Stefania Sarno
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and CNR Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Zagotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - Roberto Battistutta
- Department of Chemical Sciences and CNR Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 1, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and CNR Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padua, Italy.
| | - Graziano Lolli
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123, Trento, Italy.
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13
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Alcaraz E, Vilardell J, Borgo C, Sarró E, Plana M, Marin O, Pinna LA, Bayascas JR, Meseguer A, Salvi M, Itarte E, Ruzzene M. Effects of CK2β subunit down-regulation on Akt signalling in HK-2 renal cells. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227340. [PMID: 31910234 PMCID: PMC6946142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The PI3K/Akt pathway is interconnected to protein kinase CK2, which directly phosphorylates Akt1 at S129. We have previously found that, in HK-2 renal cells, downregulation of the CK2 regulatory subunit β (shCK2β cells) reduces S129 Akt phosphorylation. Here, we investigated in more details how the different CK2 isoforms impact on Akt and other signaling pathways. We found that all CK2 isoforms phosphorylate S129 in vitro, independently of CK2β. However, in HK-2 cells the dependence on CK2β was confirmed by rescue experiments (CK2β re-expression in shCK2β HK-2 cells), suggesting the presence of additional components that drive Akt recognition by CK2 in cells. We also found that CK2β downregulation altered the phosphorylation ratio between the two canonical Akt activation sites (pT308 strongly reduced, pS473 slightly increased) in HK-2 cells. Similar results were found in other cell lines where CK2β was stably knocked out by CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The phosphorylation of rpS6 S235/S236, a downstream effector of Akt, was strongly reduced in shCK2β HK-2 cells, while the phosphorylation of two Akt direct targets, PRAS40 T246 and GSK3β S9, was increased. Differently to what observed in response to CK2β down-regulation, the chemical inhibition of CK2 activity by cell treatment with the specific inhibitor CX-4945 reduced both the Akt canonical sites, pT308 and pS473. In CX-4945-treated cells, the changes in rpS6 pS235/S236 and GSK3β pS9 mirrored those induced by CK2β knock-down (reduction and slight increase, respectively); on the contrary, the effect on PRAS40 pT246 phosphorylation was sharply different, being strongly reduced by CK2 inhibition; this suggests that this Akt target might be dependent on Akt pS473 status in HK-2 cells. Since PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2/p90rsk pathways are known to be interconnected and both modulated by CK2, with GSK3β pS9 representing a convergent point, we investigated if ERK1/2/p90rsk signaling was affected by CK2β knock-down and CX-4945 treatment in HK-2 cells. We found that p90rsk was insensitive to any kind of CK2 targeting; therefore, the observation that, similarly, GSK3β pS9 was not reduced by CK2 blockade suggests that GSK3β phosphorylation is mainly under the control of p90rsk in these cells. However, we found that the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reduced GSK3β pS9, and concomitantly decreased Snail1 levels (a GSK3β target and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal transition marker). The effects of LY294002 were observed also in CK2β-downregulated cells, suggesting that reducing GSK3β pS9 could be a strategy to control Snail1 levels in any situation where CK2β is defective, as possibly occurring in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefania Alcaraz
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
| | - Jordi Vilardell
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
| | - Christian Borgo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Eduard Sarró
- Fisiopatología Renal, CIBBIM-Nanomedicine, VHIR, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Plana
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oriano Marin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Lorenzo A. Pinna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Padova, Italy
| | - José R. Bayascas
- Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Meseguer
- Fisiopatología Renal, CIBBIM-Nanomedicine, VHIR, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
- Red de Investigación Renal (REDINREN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mauro Salvi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Emilio Itarte
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Unitat de Bioquímica Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (MR); (EI)
| | - Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Padova, Italy
- * E-mail: (MR); (EI)
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14
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Borgo C, Ruzzene M. Role of protein kinase CK2 in antitumor drug resistance. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2019; 38:287. [PMID: 31277672 PMCID: PMC6612148 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1292-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Drug resistance represents the major reason of pharmacological treatment failure. It is supported by a broad spectrum of mechanisms, whose molecular bases have been frequently correlated to aberrant protein phosphorylation. CK2 is a constitutively active protein kinase which phosphorylates hundreds of substrates; it is expressed in all cells, but its level is commonly found higher in cancer cells, where it plays anti-apoptotic, pro-migration and pro-proliferation functions. Several evidences support a role for CK2 in processes directly responsible of drug resistance, such as drug efflux and DNA repair; moreover, CK2 intervenes in signaling pathways which are crucial to evade drug response (as PI3K/AKT/PTEN, NF-κB, β-catenin, hedgehog signaling, p53), and controls the activity of chaperone machineries fundamental in resistant cells. Interestingly, a panel of specific and effective inhibitors of CK2 is available, and several examples are known of their efficacy in resistant cells, with synergistic effect when used in combination with conventional drugs, also in vivo. Here we analyze and discuss evidences supporting the hypothesis that CK2 targeting represents a valuable strategy to overcome drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Borgo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58b, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58b, 35131, Padova, Italy.
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15
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Li K, Zhou F, Zhou Y, Zhang S, Li Q, Li Z, Liu L, Wu G, Meng R. Quinalizarin, a specific CK2 inhibitor, can reduce icotinib resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Int J Mol Med 2019; 44:437-446. [PMID: 31173177 PMCID: PMC6605624 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2019.4220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The abnormal activation of the downstream signaling pathways of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that are independent of EGFR, contribute to the acquisition of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The serine/threonine protein kinase casein kinase II (CK2) phosphorylates and modulates several members of the EGFR downstream signaling pathways. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of the addition of quinalizarin (a specific CK2 inhibitor) to icotinib (an EGFR-TKI) on the proliferation and apoptosis of four NSCLC cell lines and its underlying mechanisms. The human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines HCC827, A549, H1650 and H1975 were employed to represent the EGFR-TKI-sensitive EGFR (EGFR-sensitive) mutation, wild-type EGFR and the EGFR-TKI-resistant EGFR (EGFR-resistant) mutations. The cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytom-etry using the Annexin V-enhanced green fluorescent protein Apoptosis Detection kit. The level of proteins in the EGFR downstream pathway was observed using a western blot assay. The results showed that the cells with the EGFR-sensitive mutation (HCC827, EGFR E716-A750del) were more sensitive to icotinib compared with those possessing the EGFR wild-type (A549) and the EGFR-resistant mutations (H1650, EGFR E716-A750del and PTEN lost; H1975, EGFR L858R+T790M). Quinalizarin inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in the cells with the EGFR wild-type and resistant mutations, and the addition of quinalizarin to icotinib partially restored their sensitivity to icotinib. Quinalizarin and/or icotinib increased the apoptotic rates in the EGFR-TKI resistant cells, and the combination of these reduced the level of protein downstream of EGFR, including phosphorylated (p-AKT) and p-(ERK). In conclusion, quinalizarin may partially sensitize cells to icotinib by inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis mediated by AKT and ERK in EGFR-TKI resistant NSCLC cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Li
- Pharmacy Department, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Fangzheng Zhou
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Qianwen Li
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Zhenyu Li
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Li Liu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Gang Wu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
| | - Rui Meng
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
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16
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Hashimoto A, Gao C, Mastio J, Kossenkov A, Abrams SI, Purandare AV, Desilva H, Wee S, Hunt J, Jure-Kunkel M, Gabrilovich DI. Inhibition of Casein Kinase 2 Disrupts Differentiation of Myeloid Cells in Cancer and Enhances the Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Mice. Cancer Res 2018; 78:5644-5655. [PMID: 30139814 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-1229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The role of myeloid cells as regulators of tumor progression that significantly impact the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies makes them an attractive target for inhibition. Here we explore the effect of a novel, potent, and selective inhibitor of serine/threonine protein kinase casein kinase 2 (CK2) on modulating myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment. Although inhibition of CK2 caused only a modest effect on dendritic cells in tumor-bearing mice, it substantially reduced the amount of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages. This effect was not caused by the induction of apoptosis, but rather by a block of differentiation. Our results implicated downregulation of CCAAT-enhancer binding protein-α in this effect. Although CK2 inhibition did not directly affect tumor cells, it dramatically enhanced the antitumor activity of immune checkpoint receptor blockade using anti-CTLA-4 antibody. These results suggest a potential role of CK2 inhibitors in combination therapies against cancer.Significance: These findings demonstrate the modulatory effects of casein kinase 2 inhibitors on myeloid cell differentiation in the tumor microenvironment, which subsequently synergize with the antitumor effects of checkpoint inhibitor CTLA4. Cancer Res; 78(19); 5644-55. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chan Gao
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey
| | | | | | - Scott I Abrams
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Immunology, Buffalo, New York, Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland
| | | | | | - Susan Wee
- Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey
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17
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Kim JM, Noh EM, Song HK, You YO, Jung SH, Kim JS, Kwon KB, Lee YR, Youn HJ. Silencing of casein kinase 2 inhibits PKC‑induced cell invasion by targeting MMP‑9 in MCF‑7 cells. Mol Med Rep 2018; 17:8397-8402. [PMID: 29658601 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2018.8885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that has been considered to represent an important factor in mammary tumorigenesis. Increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase‑9 (MMP‑9) via nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) activation has been demonstrated to promote breast cancer cell invasion. In the present study, the involvement of CK2 in protein kinase C (PKC) induced cell invasion in MCF‑7 breast cancer cells was investigated as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. The mRNA and protein levels of MMP‑9 in MCF‑7 cells were investigated using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot analyses and a zymography assay. Cell invasiveness was investigated using a Matrigel invasion assay, and it was revealed that small interfering RNA specific for CK2 suppressed PKC induced cell invasion by regulating MMP‑9 expression via activation of the p38 kinase/c‑Jun N‑terminal kinase/NF‑κB pathway. In addition, it was demonstrated that CK2 inhibitors [apigenin (20 µM), emodin (20 µM) or 2‑dimethylamino‑4,5,6,7‑tetrabromo‑1H‑benzimidazole (2 µM)] suppressed PKC induced cell invasion and MMP‑9 expression. The results of the present study suggested that CK2 is an important factor involved in the induction of MCF‑7 breast cancer cell invasion by PKC. Therefore, CK2 may represent novel candidates for therapy intended to inhibit invasion in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Mi Kim
- Center for Metabolic Function Regulation, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Jeollabuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Mi Noh
- Center for Metabolic Function Regulation, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Jeollabuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Kyung Song
- Center for Metabolic Function Regulation, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Jeollabuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Ouk You
- Department of Oral Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeollabuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Hoo Jung
- Department of Surgery, Division of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeollabuk 560‑182, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Suk Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Science, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeollabuk 560‑182, Republic of Korea
| | - Kang-Beom Kwon
- Department of Korean Physiology, Wonkwang University School of Korean Medicine, Iksan, Jeonbuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Rae Lee
- Center for Metabolic Function Regulation, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Jeollabuk 570‑749, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jo Youn
- Department of Surgery, Division of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeollabuk 560‑182, Republic of Korea
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18
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Iegre J, Brear P, De Fusco C, Yoshida M, Mitchell SL, Rossmann M, Carro L, Sore HF, Hyvönen M, Spring DR. Second-generation CK2α inhibitors targeting the αD pocket. Chem Sci 2018; 9:3041-3049. [PMID: 29732088 PMCID: PMC5916021 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc05122k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
CK2 is a critical cell cycle regulator that also promotes various anti-apoptotic mechanisms. Development of ATP-non-competitive inhibitors of CK2 is a very attractive strategy considering that the ATP binding site is highly conserved among other kinases. We have previously utilised a pocket outside the active site to develop a novel CK2 inhibitor, CAM4066. Whilst CAM4066 bound to this new pocket it was also interacting with the ATP site: herein, we describe an example of a CK2α inhibitor that binds completely outside the active site. This second generation αD-site binding inhibitor, compound CAM4712 (IC50 = 7 μM, GI50 = 10.0 ± 3.6 μM), has numerous advantages over the previously reported CAM4066, including a reduction in the number of rotatable bonds, the absence of amide groups susceptible to the action of proteases and improved cellular permeability. Unlike with CAM4066, there was no need to facilitate cellular uptake by making a prodrug. Moreover, CAM4712 displayed no drop off between its ability to inhibit the kinase in vitro (IC50) and the ability to inhibit cell proliferation (GI50).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Iegre
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Paul Brear
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1GA , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Claudia De Fusco
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
- Structure Biophysics & FBLG , Discovery Sciences , IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Cambridge , UK
| | - Masao Yoshida
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
- R&D Division , Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. , 1-2-58, Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku , Tokyo 140-8710 , Japan
| | - Sophie L Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Maxim Rossmann
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1GA , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Laura Carro
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Hannah F Sore
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
| | - Marko Hyvönen
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1GA , Cambridge , UK .
| | - David R Spring
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , Cambridge , UK .
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19
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Rabjerg M, Guerra B, Oliván-Viguera A, Mikkelsen MLN, Köhler R, Issinger OG, Marcussen N. Nuclear localization of the CK2α-subunit correlates with poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 8:1613-1627. [PMID: 27906674 PMCID: PMC5352082 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein kinase CK2α, one of the two catalytic isoforms of the protein kinase CK2 has been shown to contribute to tumor development, tumor proliferation and suppression of apoptosis in various malignancies. We conducted this study to investigate CK2 expression in different subtypes of Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and in the benign oncocytoma. qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses revealed that CK2α expression was significantly increased at the mRNA and protein levels in clear cell RCC (ccRCC). Also the kinase activity of CK2 was significantly increased in ccRCC compared to normal renal cortex. Nuclear protein expression of CK2α correlated in univariate analysis with poor Progression Free Survival (HR = 8.11, p = 0.016). Functional analyses (cell proliferation assay) revealed an inhibitory effect of Caki-2 cell growth following CK2 inhibition with CX-4945. Our results suggest that CK2α promotes migration and invasion of ccRCC and therefore could serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and molecular therapeutic target in this type of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maj Rabjerg
- Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Barbara Guerra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Aida Oliván-Viguera
- Aragon Agency for Research and Development (ARAID), IACS, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Ralf Köhler
- Aragon Agency for Research and Development (ARAID), IACS, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Olaf-Georg Issinger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Niels Marcussen
- Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
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20
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Buontempo F, McCubrey JA, Orsini E, Ruzzene M, Cappellini A, Lonetti A, Evangelisti C, Chiarini F, Evangelisti C, Barata JT, Martelli AM. Therapeutic targeting of CK2 in acute and chronic leukemias. Leukemia 2017; 32:1-10. [PMID: 28951560 PMCID: PMC5770594 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2017.301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
CK2 is a ubiquitously expressed, constitutively active Ser/Thr protein kinase, which is considered the most pleiotropic protein kinase in the human kinome. Such a pleiotropy explains the involvement of CK2 in many cellular events. However, its predominant roles are stimulation of cell growth and prevention of apoptosis. High levels of CK2 messenger RNA and protein are associated with CK2 pathological functions in human cancers. Over the last decade, basic and translational studies have provided evidence of CK2 as a pivotal molecule driving the growth of different blood malignancies. CK2 overexpression has been demonstrated in nearly all the types of hematological cancers, including acute and chronic leukemias, where CK2 is a key regulator of signaling networks critical for cell proliferation, survival and drug resistance. The findings that emerged from these studies suggest that CK2 could be a valuable therapeutic target in leukemias and supported the initiation of clinical trials using CK2 antagonists. In this review, we summarize the recent advances on the understanding of the signaling pathways involved in CK2 inhibition-mediated effects with a particular emphasis on the combinatorial use of CK2 inhibitors as novel therapeutic strategies for treating both acute and chronic leukemia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Buontempo
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - J A McCubrey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - E Orsini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - M Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - A Cappellini
- Department of Human, Social and Health Sciences, University of Cassino, Cassino, Italy
| | - A Lonetti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - C Evangelisti
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council, Bologna, Italy.,Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy
| | - F Chiarini
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council, Bologna, Italy.,Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy
| | - C Evangelisti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - J T Barata
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A M Martelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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21
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Ruzzene M, Bertacchini J, Toker A, Marmiroli S. Cross-talk between the CK2 and AKT signaling pathways in cancer. Adv Biol Regul 2017; 64:1-8. [PMID: 28373060 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2017.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
CK2 and AKT display a high degree of cross-regulation of their respective functions, both directly, through physical interaction and phosphorylation, and indirectly, through an intense cross-talk of key downstream effectors, ultimately leading to sustained AKT activation. Being CK2 and AKT attractive targets for therapeutic intervention, here we would like to emphasize how AKT and CK2 might influence cell fate through their complex isoform-specific and contextual-dependent cross-talk, to the extent that such functional interplay should be considered when devising therapies that target one or both these key signaling kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Jessika Bertacchini
- Cell Signaling Unit, Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41124 Modena, Italy
| | - Alex Toker
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sandra Marmiroli
- Cell Signaling Unit, Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41124 Modena, Italy.
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22
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Brear P, De Fusco C, Hadje Georgiou K, Francis-Newton NJ, Stubbs CJ, Sore HF, Venkitaraman AR, Abell C, Spring DR, Hyvönen M. Specific inhibition of CK2α from an anchor outside the active site. Chem Sci 2016; 7:6839-6845. [PMID: 28451126 PMCID: PMC5355960 DOI: 10.1039/c6sc02335e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of selective inhibitors of protein kinases is challenging because of the significant conservation of the ATP binding site. Here, we describe a new mechanism by which the protein kinase CK2α can be selectively inhibited using features outside the ATP site. We have identified a new binding site for small molecules on CK2α adjacent to the ATP site and behind the αD loop, termed the αD pocket. An elaborated fragment anchored in this site has been linked with a low affinity fragment binding in the ATP site, creating a novel and selective inhibitor (CAM4066) that binds CK2α with a Kd of 320 nM and shows significantly improved selectivity compared to other CK2α inhibitors. CAM4066 shows target engagement in several cell lines and similar potency to clinical trial candidate CX4945. Our data demonstrate that targeting a poorly conserved, cryptic pocket allows inhibition of CK2α via a novel mechanism, enabling the development of a new generation of selective CK2α inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Brear
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , 80 Tennis Court Road , Cambridge CB2 1GA , UK .
| | - Claudia De Fusco
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | - Kathy Hadje Georgiou
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | - Nicola J Francis-Newton
- Medical Research Council Cancer Unit , University of Cambridge , Hutchison/MRC Research Centre , Hills Road , Cambridge CB2 0XZ , UK
| | - Christopher J Stubbs
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , 80 Tennis Court Road , Cambridge CB2 1GA , UK .
| | - Hannah F Sore
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | - Ashok R Venkitaraman
- Medical Research Council Cancer Unit , University of Cambridge , Hutchison/MRC Research Centre , Hills Road , Cambridge CB2 0XZ , UK
| | - Chris Abell
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | - David R Spring
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , Lensfield Road , Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | - Marko Hyvönen
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Cambridge , 80 Tennis Court Road , Cambridge CB2 1GA , UK .
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23
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Zhou B, Ritt DA, Morrison DK, Der CJ, Cox AD. Protein Kinase CK2α Maintains Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) Activity in a CK2α Kinase-independent Manner to Promote Resistance to Inhibitors of RAF and MEK but Not ERK in BRAF Mutant Melanoma. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:17804-15. [PMID: 27226552 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.712885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein kinase casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a pleiotropic and constitutively active kinase that plays crucial roles in cellular proliferation and survival. Overexpression of CK2, particularly the α catalytic subunit (CK2α, CSNK2A1), has been implicated in a wide variety of cancers and is associated with poorer survival and resistance to both conventional and targeted anticancer therapies. Here, we found that CK2α protein is elevated in melanoma cell lines compared with normal human melanocytes. We then tested the involvement of CK2α in drug resistance to Food and Drug Administration-approved single agent targeted therapies for melanoma. In BRAF mutant melanoma cells, ectopic CK2α decreased sensitivity to vemurafenib (BRAF inhibitor), dabrafenib (BRAF inhibitor), and trametinib (MEK inhibitor) by a mechanism distinct from that of mutant NRAS. Conversely, knockdown of CK2α sensitized cells to inhibitor treatment. CK2α-mediated RAF-MEK kinase inhibitor resistance was tightly linked to its maintenance of ERK phosphorylation. We found that CK2α post-translationally regulates the ERK-specific phosphatase dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) in a kinase dependent-manner, decreasing its abundance. However, we unexpectedly showed, by using a kinase-inactive mutant of CK2α, that RAF-MEK inhibitor resistance did not rely on CK2α kinase catalytic function, and both wild-type and kinase-inactive CK2α maintained ERK phosphorylation upon inhibition of BRAF or MEK. That both wild-type and kinase-inactive CK2α bound equally well to the RAF-MEK-ERK scaffold kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) suggested that CK2α increases KSR facilitation of ERK phosphorylation. Accordingly, CK2α did not cause resistance to direct inhibition of ERK by the ERK1/2-selective inhibitor SCH772984. Our findings support a kinase-independent scaffolding function of CK2α that promotes resistance to RAF- and MEK-targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel A Ritt
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Deborah K Morrison
- Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702
| | - Channing J Der
- From the Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and
| | - Adrienne D Cox
- From the Department of Pharmacology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 and
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24
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Petta S, Valenti L, Marra F, Grimaudo S, Tripodo C, Bugianesi E, Cammà C, Cappon A, Di Marco V, Di Maira G, Dongiovanni P, Rametta R, Gulino A, Mozzi E, Orlando E, Maggioni M, Pipitone RM, Fargion S, Craxì A. MERTK rs4374383 polymorphism affects the severity of fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol 2016; 64:682-90. [PMID: 26596542 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Revised: 09/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIM Homozygosity for a common non-coding rs4374383 G>A polymorphism in MERTK (myeloid-epithelial-reproductive tyrosine kinase) has been associated with the protection against fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C. The main study objective was to assess whether MERTK AA genotype influences liver fibrosis, and secondarily MERTK expression in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We also investigated whether MERTK is expressed in human hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and in murine models of fibrogenesis. METHODS We considered 533 consecutive patients who underwent liver biopsy for suspected non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) without severe obesity from two Italian cohorts. As controls, we evaluated 158 patients with normal liver enzymes and without metabolic disturbances. MERTK rs4374383 genotype was assessed by 5'-nuclease assays. MERTK expression was analysed in mouse models of fibrosis, and the effect of the MERTK ligand GAS6 were investigated in human HSC. RESULTS Clinically significant fibrosis (stage F2-F4) was observed in 19% of patients with MERTK AA compared to 30% in those with MERTK GG/GA (OR 0.43, CI 0.21-0.88, p=0.02; adjusted for centre, and genetic, clinical-metabolic and histological variables). The protective rs4374383 AA genotype was associated with lower MERTK hepatic expression. MERTK was overexpressed in the liver of NAFLD patients with F2-F4 fibrosis and in in vivo models of fibrogenesis. Furthermore, exposure of cultured human HSC to the MERTK ligand GAS6, increased cell migration and induced procollagen expression. These effects were counteracted by inhibition of MERTK activity, which also resulted in apoptotic death of HSC. CONCLUSIONS The rs4374383 AA genotype, associated with lower intrahepatic expression of MERTK, is protective against F2-F4 fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. The mechanism may involve modulation of HSC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Petta
- Sezione di Gastroenterologia, DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, Italy.
| | - Luca Valenti
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi, Internal Medicine, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Marra
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | | | - Claudio Tripodo
- Cattedra di Anatomia Patologica, University of Palermo, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Bugianesi
- Division of Gastro-Hepatology, Department of Medical Sciences, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Calogero Cammà
- Sezione di Gastroenterologia, DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, Italy
| | - Andrea Cappon
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | - Vito Di Marco
- Sezione di Gastroenterologia, DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Maira
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
| | - Paola Dongiovanni
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi, Internal Medicine, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaela Rametta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi, Internal Medicine, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Mozzi
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi, Internal Medicine, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Emanuele Orlando
- Sezione di Gastroenterologia, DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, Italy
| | - Marco Maggioni
- Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Fargion
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi, Internal Medicine, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Antonio Craxì
- Sezione di Gastroenterologia, DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, Italy
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25
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Zanin S, Sandre M, Cozza G, Ottaviani D, Marin O, Pinna LA, Ruzzene M. Chimeric peptides as modulators of CK2-dependent signaling: Mechanism of action and off-target effects. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2015; 1854:1694-707. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2015.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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26
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Design, validation and efficacy of bisubstrate inhibitors specifically affecting ecto-CK2 kinase activity. Biochem J 2015; 471:415-30. [PMID: 26349539 DOI: 10.1042/bj20141127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
By derivatizing the purely competitive CK2 inhibitor N1-(4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-propane-1,3-diamine (K137) at its 3-amino position with a peptidic fragment composed of three or four glutamic or aspartic acid residues, a new family of bisubstrate inhibitors has been generated whose ability to simultaneously interact with both the ATP and the phosphoacceptor substrate-binding sites has been probed by running mixed competition kinetics and by mutational mapping of the kinase residues implicated in substrate recognition. The most effective bisubstrate inhibitor, K137-E4, interacts with three functional regions of the kinase: the hydrophobic pocket close to the ATP-binding site, the basic residues of the p+1 loop that recognizes the acidic determinant at position n+1 and the basic residues of α-helixC that recognize the acidic determinant at position n+3. Compared with the parent inhibitor (K137), K137-E4 is severalfold more potent (IC50 25 compared with 130 nM) and more selective, failing to inhibit any other kinase as drastically as CK2 out of 140 enzymes, whereas 35 kinases are inhibited more potently than CK2 by K137. K137-E4 is unable to penetrate the cell and to inhibit endogenous CK2, its pro-apoptotic efficacy being negligible compared with cell-permeant inhibitors; however, it readily inhibits ecto-CK2 on the outer cell surface, reducing the phosphorylation of several external phosphoproteins. Inhibition of ecto-CK2 by K137-E4 is accompanied by a slower migration of cancer cells as judged by wound healing assays. On the basis of the cellular responses to K137-E4, we conclude that ecto-CK2 is implicated in cell motility, whereas its contribution to the pro-survival role of CK2 is negligible.
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27
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Rovida E, Di Maira G, Tusa I, Cannito S, Paternostro C, Navari N, Vivoli E, Deng X, Gray NS, Esparís-Ogando A, David E, Pandiella A, Dello Sbarba P, Parola M, Marra F. The mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK5 regulates the development and growth of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut 2015; 64:1454-65. [PMID: 25183205 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-306761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5 or BMK1) is involved in tumour development. The ERK5 gene may be amplified in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its biological role has not been clarified. In this study, we explored the role of ERK5 expression and activity in HCC in vitro and in vivo. DESIGN ERK5 expression was evaluated in human liver tissue. Cultured HepG2 and Huh-7 were studied after ERK5 knockdown by siRNA or in the presence of the specific pharmacological inhibitor, XMD8-92. The role of ERK5 in vivo was assessed using mouse Huh-7 xenografts. RESULTS In tissue specimens from patients with HCC, a higher percentage of cells with nuclear ERK5 expression was found both in HCC and in the surrounding cirrhotic tissue compared with normal liver tissue. Inhibition of ERK5 decreased HCC cell proliferation and increased the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase. These effects were associated with increased expression of p27 and p15 and decreased CCND1. Treatment with XMD8-92 or ERK5 silencing prevented cell migration induced by epidermal growth factor or hypoxia and caused cytoskeletal remodelling. In mouse xenografts, the rate of tumour appearance and the size of tumours were significantly lower when Huh-7 was silenced for ERK5. Moreover, systemic treatment with XMD8-92 of mice with established HCC xenografts markedly reduced tumour growth and decreased the expression of the proto-oncogene c-Rel. CONCLUSIONS ERK5 regulates the biology of HCC cells and modulates tumour development and growth in vivo. This pathway should be investigated as a possible therapeutic target in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Rovida
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Sperimentali e Cliniche, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Maira
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Ignazia Tusa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Sperimentali e Cliniche, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Stefania Cannito
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Oncologia Sperimentali, Università di Torino, Italy
| | - Claudia Paternostro
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Oncologia Sperimentali, Università di Torino, Italy
| | - Nadia Navari
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Elisa Vivoli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Xianming Deng
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Azucena Esparís-Ogando
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CSIC-Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ezio David
- Pathology Unit, Ospedale S. Giovanni Battista, Torino, Italy
| | - Atanasio Pandiella
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CSIC-Universidad de Salamanca, Spain
| | - Persio Dello Sbarba
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Sperimentali e Cliniche, Università di Firenze, Italy
| | - Maurizio Parola
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Oncologia Sperimentali, Università di Torino, Italy
| | - Fabio Marra
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica Università di Firenze, Italy
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28
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Filhol O, Giacosa S, Wallez Y, Cochet C. Protein kinase CK2 in breast cancer: the CK2β regulatory subunit takes center stage in epithelial plasticity. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:3305-22. [PMID: 25990538 PMCID: PMC11113558 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1929-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2015] [Revised: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Structurally, protein kinase CK2 consists of two catalytic subunits (α and α') and two regulatory subunits (β), which play a critical role in targeting specific CK2 substrates. Compelling evidence shows the complexity of the CK2 cellular signaling network and supports the view that this enzyme is a key component of regulatory protein kinase networks that are involved in several aspects of cancer. CK2 both activates and suppresses the expression of a number of essential oncogenes and tumor suppressors, and its expression and activity are upregulated in blood tumors and virtually all solid tumors. The prognostic significance of CK2α expression in association with various clinicopathological parameters highlighted this kinase as an adverse prognostic marker in breast cancer. In addition, several recent studies reported its implication in the regulation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), an early step in cancer invasion and metastasis. In this review, we briefly overview the contribution of CK2 to several aspects of cancer and discuss how in mammary epithelial cells, the expression of its CK2β regulatory subunit plays a critical role in maintaining an epithelial phenotype through CK2-mediated control of key EMT-related transcription factors. Importantly, decreased CK2β expression in breast tumors is correlated with inefficient phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Snail1 and Foxc2, ultimately leading to EMT induction. This review highlights the pivotal role played by CK2β in the mammary epithelial phenotype and discusses how a modest alteration in its expression may be sufficient to induce dramatic effects facilitating the early steps in tumor cell dissemination through the coordinated regulation of two key transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile Filhol
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1036, Grenoble, France
- Institute of Life Sciences Research and Technologies, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche-S1036, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Sofia Giacosa
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1036, Grenoble, France
- Institute of Life Sciences Research and Technologies, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche-S1036, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Yann Wallez
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1036, Grenoble, France
- Institute of Life Sciences Research and Technologies, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche-S1036, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Claude Cochet
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1036, Grenoble, France
- Institute of Life Sciences Research and Technologies, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Grenoble, France
- Unité Mixte de Recherche-S1036, University of Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
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29
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Predicting CK2 beta-dependent substrates using linear patterns. Biochem Biophys Rep 2015; 4:20-27. [PMID: 29124183 PMCID: PMC5668876 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2015.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Revised: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CK2 is a constitutively active Ser/Thr protein kinase deregulated in cancer and other pathologies, responsible for about the 20% of the human phosphoproteome. The holoenzyme is a complex composed of two catalytic (α or α´) and two regulatory (β) subunits, with individual subunits also coexisting in the cell. In the holoenzyme, CK2β is a substrate-dependent modulator of kinase activity. Therefore, a comprehensive characterization of CK2 cellular function should firstly address which substrates are phosphorylated exclusively when CK2β is present (class-III or beta-dependent substrates). However, current experimental constrains limit this classification to a few substrates. Here, we took advantage of motif-based prediction and designed four linear patterns for predicting class-III behavior in sets of experimentally determined CK2 substrates. Integrating high-throughput substrate prediction, functional classification and network analysis, our results suggest that beta-dependent phosphorylation might exert particular regulatory roles in viral infection and biological processes/pathways like apoptosis, DNA repair and RNA metabolism. It also pointed, that human beta-dependent substrates are mainly nuclear, a few of them shuttling between nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. The designed linear patterns assist CK2 beta-dependent substrates prediction. A high-throughput prediction of CK2 beta-dependent substrates was performed in several organisms including human, mouse and rat. The functional classification indicated a role of CK2 beta-dependent regulation in viral infection, apoptosis, DNA repair and RNA metabolism. The functional classification indicated that human CK2 beta-dependent substrates are mainly nuclear with a number of them also found in cytoplasm.
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30
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Abstract
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Cancer cells proliferate uncontrollably and, many cases, spread to other parts of the body. A protein historically involved in cancer is protein kinase CK2. CK2 is a serine-threonine kinase that has been involved in cell growth, cell proliferation and cell apoptosis. CK2 functions as an oncogene when overexpressed in mouse tissues, and can synergize with known oncogenes, such as ras, to induce cell transformation in cells in culture. CK2, typically the CK2α protein, is found elevated in a number of human tumors. However, we have little information on CK2α' and CK2β proteins, and scarce information on CK2 gene transcript expression. Here, we explore the expression of CK2 transcripts in primary tumor tissues using the database Oncomine in the six cancers with the highest mortality in the U.S.A. In addition, we studied the correlation between CK2 expression and overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database in breast, ovarian, and lung cancers. We found widespread upregulation in the expression of CK2 genes in primary tumor tissues. However, we found underexpression of CK2α' transcripts in some tumors, increased CK2β transcripts in some invasive tumors, and deregulation of CK2 transcripts in some tumor precursors. There was also correlation between CK2 expression levels and patient survival. These data provides additional evidence for CK2 as a biomarker for cancer studies and as a target for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charina E. Ortega
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States of America
| | - Yoshua Seidner
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States of America
| | - Isabel Dominguez
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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31
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Cozza G, Girardi C, Ranchio A, Lolli G, Sarno S, Orzeszko A, Kazimierczuk Z, Battistutta R, Ruzzene M, Pinna LA. Cell-permeable dual inhibitors of protein kinases CK2 and PIM-1: structural features and pharmacological potential. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:3173-85. [PMID: 24442476 PMCID: PMC11113908 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1552-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2013] [Revised: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 12/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that dual inhibitors of protein kinases CK2 and PIM-1 are tools particularly valuable to induce apoptosis of cancer cells, a property, however, implying cell permeability, which is lacking in the case of selective CK2/PIM-1 inhibitors developed so far. To fill this gap, we have derivatized the scaffold of the promiscuous CK2 inhibitor TBI with a deoxyribose moiety, generating TDB, a selective, cell-permeable inhibitor of CK2 and PIM-1. Here, we shed light on the structural features underlying the potency and narrow selectivity of TDB by exploiting a number of TDB analogs and by solving the 3D structure of the TDB/CK2 complex at 1.25 Å resolution, one of the highest reported so far for this kinase. We also show that the cytotoxic efficacy of TDB is almost entirely due to apoptosis, is accompanied by parallel inhibition of cellular CK2 and PIM-1, and is superior to both those observed combining individual inhibitors of CK2 and PIM-1 and by treating cells with the CK2 inhibitor CX4945. These data, in conjunction with the observations that cancer cells are more susceptible than non-cancer cells to TDB and that such a sensitivity is maintained in a multi-drug resistance background, highlight the pharmacological potential of this compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Cozza
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Cristina Girardi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ranchio
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Graziano Lolli
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefania Sarno
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Andrzej Orzeszko
- Institute of Chemistry, Warsaw Life Sciences University, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Roberto Battistutta
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Maria Ruzzene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Lorenzo A. Pinna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
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32
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Abstract
The term 'casein kinase' has been widely used for decades to denote protein kinases sharing the ability to readily phosphorylate casein in vitro. These fall into three main classes: two of them, later renamed as protein kinases CK1 (casein kinase 1, also known as CKI) and CK2 (also known as CKII), are pleiotropic members of the kinome functionally unrelated to casein, whereas G-CK, or genuine casein kinase, responsible for the phosphorylation of casein in the Golgi apparatus of the lactating mammary gland, has only been identified recently with Fam20C [family with sequence similarity 20C; also known as DMP-4 (dentin matrix protein-4)], a member of the four-jointed family of atypical protein kinases, being responsible for the phosphorylation of many secreted proteins. In hindsight, therefore, the term 'casein kinase' is misleading in every instance; in the case of CK1 and CK2, it is because casein is not a physiological substrate, and in the case of G-CK/Fam20C/DMP-4, it is because casein is just one out of a plethora of its targets, and a rather marginal one at that. Strikingly, casein kinases altogether, albeit representing a minimal proportion of the whole kinome, appear to be responsible for the generation of up to 40-50% of non-redundant phosphosites currently retrieved in human phosphopeptides database. In the present review, a short historical explanation will be provided accounting for the usage of the same misnomer to denote three unrelated classes of protein kinases, together with an update of our current knowledge of these pleiotropic enzymes, sharing the same misnomer while playing very distinct biological roles.
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Zhang F, Yang B, Shi S, Jiang X. RNA interference (RNAi) mediated stable knockdown of protein casein kinase 2-alpha (CK2α) inhibits migration and invasion and enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in HEp-2 laryngeal carcinoma cells. Acta Histochem 2014; 116:1000-6. [PMID: 24831064 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Revised: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Laryngeal carcinoma is a common malignant neoplasm occurring in the head and neck, threatening human health. Protein casein kinase 2-alpha (CK2α) has been indicated to participate in the pathogenesis of this cancer; however, the underlying mechanisms still need to be elucidated. In this study, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) technology was utilized to inhibit the CK2α expression in HEp-2 laryngeal carcinoma cells. Results showed that both mRNA and protein expression levels of endogenous CK2α were markedly decreased in HEp-2 cells transfected with CK2α specific shRNA. Transwell assays revealed that stable knockdown of CK2α significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of HEp-2 cells. As compared with cells treated with negative control shRNA, epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) expression was increased, but snail, slug and vimentin were decreased in cells transfected with CK2α shRNA, indicating that inhibition of CK2α expression may suppress the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of laryngeal carcinoma in vitro. Moreover, suppression of CK2α was found to enhance the apoptosis induced by cisplatin in laryngeal carcinoma cells, probably through inhibition of permeability glycoprotein (P-glycoprotein) and multidrug-resistance protein (MRP1). In conclusion, our study may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for human laryngeal carcinoma by targeting CK2α.
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34
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Feedbacks and adaptive capabilities of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis in acute myeloid leukemia revealed by pathway selective inhibition and phosphoproteome analysis. Leukemia 2014; 28:2197-205. [PMID: 24699302 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2014.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) primary cells express high levels of phosphorylated Akt, a master regulator of cellular functions regarded as a promising drug target. By means of reverse phase protein arrays, we examined the response of 80 samples of primary cells from AML patients to selective inhibitors of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) axis. We confirm that >60% of the samples analyzed are characterized by high pathway phosphorylation. Unexpectedly, however, we show here that targeting Akt and mTOR with the specific inhibitors Akti 1/2 and Torin1, alone or in combination, result in paradoxical Akt phosphorylation and activation of downstream signaling in 70% of the samples. Indeed, we demonstrate that cropping Akt or mTOR activity can stabilize the Akt/mTOR downstream effectors Forkhead box O and insulin receptor substrate-1, which in turn potentiate signaling through upregulation of the expression/phosphorylation of selected growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Activation of RTKs in turn reactivates PI3K and downstream signaling, thus overruling the action of the drugs. We finally demonstrate that dual inhibition of Akt and RTKs displays strong synergistic cytotoxic effects in AML cells and downmodulates Akt signaling to a much greater extent than either drug alone, and should therefore be explored in AML clinical setting.
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de Thonel A, Hazoumé A, Kochin V, Isoniemi K, Jego G, Fourmaux E, Hammann A, Mjahed H, Filhol O, Micheau O, Rocchi P, Mezger V, Eriksson JE, Rangnekar VM, Garrido C. Regulation of the proapoptotic functions of prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) by casein kinase 2 in prostate cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2014; 5:e1016. [PMID: 24457960 PMCID: PMC4040712 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2013.532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The proapoptotic protein, prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4), acts as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer cells. The serine/threonine kinase casein kinase 2 (CK2) has a well-reported role in prostate cancer resistance to apoptotic agents or anticancer drugs. However, the mechanistic understanding on how CK2 supports survival is far from complete. In this work, we demonstrate both in rat and humans that (i) Par-4 is a new substrate of the survival kinase CK2 and (ii) phosphorylation by CK2 impairs Par-4 proapoptotic functions. We also unravel different levels of CK2-dependent regulation of Par-4 between species. In rats, the phosphorylation by CK2 at the major site, S124, prevents caspase-mediated Par-4 cleavage (D123) and consequently impairs the proapoptotic function of Par-4. In humans, CK2 strongly impairs the apoptotic properties of Par-4, independently of the caspase-mediated cleavage of Par-4 (D131), by triggering the phosphorylation at residue S231. Furthermore, we show that human Par-4 residue S231 is highly phosphorylated in prostate cancer cells as compared with their normal counterparts. Finally, the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to apoptosis by CK2 knockdown is significantly reversed by parallel knockdown of Par-4. Thus, Par-4 seems a critical target of CK2 that could be exploited for the development of new anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A de Thonel
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - A Hazoumé
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - V Kochin
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - K Isoniemi
- 1] Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland [2] Department of Biosciences, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6B, Turku, Finland
| | - G Jego
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - E Fourmaux
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - A Hammann
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - H Mjahed
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - O Filhol
- INSERM U1036, DSV/iRTSV/CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - O Micheau
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | - P Rocchi
- 1] INSERM, U624 'Stress Cellulaire', Marseille, France [2] Aix-Marseille Université, Campus de Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - V Mezger
- 1] CNRS, UMR7216 Épigénétique et Destin Cellulaire, 35 rue Hélène Brion, Paris, France [2] University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 35 rue Hélène Brion, Paris, France
| | - J E Eriksson
- 1] Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland [2] Department of Biosciences, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6B, Turku, Finland
| | - V M Rangnekar
- 1] Department of Radiation Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA [2] Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Lexington, KY, USA [3] Graduate Center for Toxicology, Lexington, KY, USA [4] Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - C Garrido
- 1] INSERM U866, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [2] Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France [3] Anticancer Center Jean François Leclerc, Dijon, France
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Aberrant signalling by protein kinase CK2 in imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia cells: biochemical evidence and therapeutic perspectives. Mol Oncol 2013; 7:1103-15. [PMID: 24012109 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2013.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 08/11/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is driven by the fusion protein Bcr-Abl, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase playing a crucial role in initiation and maintenance of CML phenotype. Despite the great efficacy of the Bcr-Abl-specific inhibitor imatinib, resistance to this drug is recognized as a major problem in CML treatment. We found that in LAMA84 cells, characterized by imatinib-resistance caused by BCR-ABL1 gene amplification, the pro-survival protein kinase CK2 is up-regulated as compared to the sensitive cells. CK2 exhibits a higher protein-level and a parallel enhancement of catalytic activity. Consistently, CK2-catalysed phosphorylation of Akt-Ser129 is increased. CK2 co-localizes with Bcr-Abl in the cytoplasmic fraction as judged by subcellular fractionation and fluorescence immunolocalization. CK2 and Bcr-Abl are members of the same multi-protein complex(es) in imatinib-resistant cells as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation and co-sedimentation in glycerol gradients. Cell treatment with CX-4945, a CK2 inhibitor currently in clinical trials, counteracts CK2/Bcr-Abl interaction and causes cell death by apoptosis. Interestingly, combination of CX-4945 with imatinib displays a synergistic effect in reducing cell viability. Consistently, knockdown of CK2α expression by siRNA restores the sensitivity of resistant LAMA84 cells to low imatinib concentrations. Remarkably, the CK2/Bcr-Abl interaction and the sensitization towards imatinib obtained by CK2-inhibition in LAMA84 is observable also in other imatinib-resistant CML cell lines. These results demonstrate that CK2 contributes to strengthen the imatinib-resistance phenotype of CML cells conferring survival advantage against imatinib. We suggest that CK2 inhibition might be a promising tool for combined strategies in CML therapy.
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Cozza G, Sarno S, Ruzzene M, Girardi C, Orzeszko A, Kazimierczuk Z, Zagotto G, Bonaiuto E, Di Paolo ML, Pinna LA. Exploiting the repertoire of CK2 inhibitors to target DYRK and PIM kinases. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2013; 1834:1402-9. [PMID: 23360763 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2013.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2012] [Revised: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Advantage has been taken of the relative promiscuity of commonly used inhibitors of protein kinase CK2 to develop compounds that can be exploited for the selective inhibition of druggable kinases other than CK2 itself. Here we summarize data obtained by altering the scaffold of CK2 inhibitors to give rise to novel selective inhibitors of DYRK1A and to a powerful cell permeable dual inhibitor of PIM1 and CK2. In the former case one of the new compounds, C624 (naphto [1,2-b]benzofuran-5,9-diol) displays a potency comparable to that of the first-in-class DYRK1A inhibitor, harmine, lacking however the drawback of drastically inhibiting monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) as harmine does. On the other hand the promiscuous CK2 inhibitor 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole (TBI,TBBz) has been derivatized with a sugar moiety to generate a 1-(β-D-2'-deoxyribofuranosyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole (TDB) compound which inhibits PIM1 and CK2 with comparably high efficacy (IC50 values<100nM) and remarkable selectivity. TDB, unlike other dual PIM1/CK2 inhibitors described in the literature is readily cell permeable and displays a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells consistent with concomitant inhibition of both its onco-kinase targets. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Inhibitors of Protein Kinases (2012).
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Cozza
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Viale G. Colombo 3 35131, Padova, Italy
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38
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Gyenis L, Turowec JP, Bretner M, Litchfield DW. Chemical proteomics and functional proteomics strategies for protein kinase inhibitor validation and protein kinase substrate identification: applications to protein kinase CK2. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2013; 1834:1352-8. [PMID: 23416530 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2013.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/04/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Since protein kinases have been implicated in numerous human diseases, kinase inhibitors have emerged as promising therapeutic agents. Despite this promise, there has been a relative lag in the development of unbiased strategies to validate both inhibitor specificity and the ability to inhibit target activity within living cells. To overcome these limitations, our efforts have been focused on the development of systematic strategies that employ chemical and functional proteomics. We utilized these strategies to evaluate small molecule inhibitors of protein kinase CK2, a constitutively active kinase that has recently emerged as target for anti-cancer therapy in clinical trials. Our chemical proteomics strategies used ATP or CK2 inhibitors immobilized on sepharose beads together with mass spectrometry to capture and identify binding partners from cell extracts. These studies have verified that interactions between CK2 and its inhibitors occur in complex mixtures. However, in the case of CK2 inhibitors related to 4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzotriazole (TBB), our work has also revealed off-targets for the inhibitors. To complement these studies, we devised functional proteomics approaches to identify proteins that exhibit decreases in phosphorylation when cells are treated with CK2 inhibitors. To identify and validate those proteins that are direct substrates for CK2, we have also employed mutants of CK2 with decreased inhibitor sensitivity. Overall, our studies have yielded systematic platforms for studying CK2 inhibitors which we believe will foster efforts to define the biological functions of CK2 and to rigorously investigate its potential as a candidate for molecular-targeted therapy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Inhibitors of Protein Kinases (2012).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Gyenis
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C1
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39
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Effects of the CK2 inhibitors CX-4945 and CX-5011 on drug-resistant cells. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49193. [PMID: 23145120 PMCID: PMC3493520 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
CK2 is a pleiotropic protein kinase, which regulates many survival pathways and plays a global anti-apoptotic function. It is highly expressed in tumor cells, and is presently considered a promising therapeutic target. Among the many inhibitors available for this kinase, the recently developed CX-4945 and CX-5011 have proved to be very potent, selective and effective in inducing cell death in tumor cells; CX-4945 has recently entered clinical trials. However, no data are available on the efficacy of these compounds to overcome drug resistance, a major reasons of cancer therapy failure. Here we address this point, by studying their effects in several tumor cell lines, each available as variant R resistant to drug-induced apoptosis, and normal-sensitive variant S. We found that the inhibition of endogenous CK2 was very similar in S and R treated cells, with more than 50% CK2 activity reduction at sub-micromolar concentrations of CX-4945 and CX-5011. A consequent apoptotic response was induced both in S and R variants of each pairs. Moreover, the combined treatment of CX-4945 plus vinblastine was able to sensitize to vinblastine R cells that are otherwise almost insensitive to this conventional antitumor drug. Consistently, doxorubicin accumulation in multidrug resistant (MDR) cells was greatly increased by CX-4945. In summary, we demonstrated that all the R variants are sensitive to CX-4945 and CX-5011; since some of the treated R lines express the extrusion pump Pgp, often responsible of the MDR phenotype, we can also conclude that the two inhibitors can successfully overcome the MDR phenomenon.
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Drygin D, Haddach M, Pierre F, Ryckman DM. Potential Use of Selective and Nonselective Pim Kinase Inhibitors for Cancer Therapy. J Med Chem 2012; 55:8199-208. [DOI: 10.1021/jm3009234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Drygin
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, California 92121,
United States
| | - Mustapha Haddach
- HTK Corporation, 5218 Rivergrade Road, Irwindale, California
91706, United States
| | - Fabrice Pierre
- 3244
Caminito Eastbluff, Apt 40, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - David M. Ryckman
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, California 92121,
United States
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41
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Stolarczyk EI, Reiling CJ, Pickin KA, Coppage R, Knecht MR, Paumi CM. Casein kinase 2α regulates multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 function via phosphorylation of Thr249. Mol Pharmacol 2012; 82:488-99. [PMID: 22695718 DOI: 10.1124/mol.112.078295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We have shown previously that the function of Ycf1p, yeast ortholog of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), is regulated by yeast casein kinase 2α (Cka1p) via phosphorylation at Ser251. In this study, we explored whether casein kinase 2α (CK2α), the human homolog of Cka1p, regulates MRP1 by phosphorylation at the semiconserved site Thr249. Knockdown of CK2α in MCF7-derived cells expressing MRP1 [MRP1 CK2α(-)] resulted in increased doxorubicin sensitivity. MRP1-dependent transport of leukotriene C(4) and estradiol-17β-d-glucuronide into vesicles derived from MRP1 CK2α(-) cells was decreased compared with MRP1 vesicles. Moreover, mutation of Thr249 to alanine (MRP1-T249A) also resulted in decreased MRP1-dependent transport, whereas a phosphomimicking mutation (MRP1-T249E) led to dramatic increase in MRP1-dependent transport. Studies in tissue culture confirmed these findings, showing increased intracellular doxorubicin accumulation in MRP1 CK2α(-) and MRP1-T249A cells compared with MRP1 cells. Inhibition of CK2 kinase by 2-dimethylamino-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo-1H-benzimidazole resulted in increased doxorubicin accumulation in MRP1 cells, but not in MRP1 CK2α(-), MRP1-T249A, or MRP1-T249E cells, suggesting that CK2α regulates MRP1 function via phosphorylation of Thr249. Indeed, CK2α and MRP1 interact physically, and recombinant CK2 phosphorylates MRP1-derived peptide in vitro in a Thr249-dependent manner, whereas knockdown of CK2α results in decreased phosphorylation at MRP1-Thr249. The role of CK2 in regulating MRP1 was confirmed in other cancer cell lines where CK2 inhibition decreased MRP1-mediated efflux of doxorubicin and increased doxorubicin cytotoxicity. This study supports a model in which CK2α potentiates MRP1 function via direct phosphorylation of Thr249.
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42
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Protein kinase CK2 in hematologic malignancies: reliance on a pivotal cell survival regulator by oncogenic signaling pathways. Leukemia 2012; 26:1174-9. [PMID: 22289987 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2011.385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
CK2 is a multitask kinase whose role is essential for a countless number of cellular processes, many of which are critical for blood cell development. A prevailing task for this kinase rests on counteracting programmed cell death triggered by multiple stimuli. CK2 is overexpressed in many solid tumors and in vivo mouse models have proven its tumorigenic potential. Recent data have suggested that CK2 may also have a significant role in the pathogenesis of hematopoietic tumors, such as multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms. CK2 regulates hematopoiesis-associated signaling pathways and seems to reinforce biochemical cascades indispensable for tumor growth, proliferation and resistance to conventional and novel cytotoxic agents. Although its activity is multifold, recent evidence supports the rationale of CK2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in solid and hematological tumors and phase-I clinical trials are in progress to test the efficacy of this innovative therapeutic approach. In this review, we will summarize the data supporting CK2 as an oncogenic kinase in blood tumors and we will describe some critical signaling pathways, whose regulation by this protein kinase may be implicated in tumorigenesis.
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Battistutta R, Cozza G, Pierre F, Papinutto E, Lolli G, Sarno S, O’Brien SE, Siddiqui-Jain A, Haddach M, Anderes K, Ryckman DM, Meggio F, Pinna LA. Unprecedented Selectivity and Structural Determinants of a New Class of Protein Kinase CK2 Inhibitors in Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Cancer. Biochemistry 2011; 50:8478-88. [DOI: 10.1021/bi2008382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Battistutta
- Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via G. Orus 2, 35129 Padova,
Italy
- Department of Chemical
Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo
1, 35131 Padova,
Italy
| | - Giorgio Cozza
- Department of Biological
Chemistry, University of Padova, Viale
G. Colombo, 35131 Padova,
Italy
| | - Fabrice Pierre
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - Elena Papinutto
- Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via G. Orus 2, 35129 Padova,
Italy
| | - Graziano Lolli
- Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via G. Orus 2, 35129 Padova,
Italy
- Department of Chemical
Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo
1, 35131 Padova,
Italy
| | - Stefania Sarno
- Department of Biological
Chemistry, University of Padova, Viale
G. Colombo, 35131 Padova,
Italy
| | - Sean E. O’Brien
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - Adam Siddiqui-Jain
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - Mustapha Haddach
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - Kenna Anderes
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - David M. Ryckman
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 5820 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 200, San Diego,
California 92121, United States
| | - Flavio Meggio
- Department of Biological
Chemistry, University of Padova, Viale
G. Colombo, 35131 Padova,
Italy
| | - Lorenzo A. Pinna
- Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via G. Orus 2, 35129 Padova,
Italy
- Department of Biological
Chemistry, University of Padova, Viale
G. Colombo, 35131 Padova,
Italy
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44
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Turowec JP, Duncan JS, Gloor GB, Litchfield DW. Regulation of caspase pathways by protein kinase CK2: identification of proteins with overlapping CK2 and caspase consensus motifs. Mol Cell Biochem 2011; 356:159-67. [PMID: 21750976 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-011-0972-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a vital cellular process often impaired in diseases such as cancer. Aspartic acid-directed proteases known as caspases cleave a broad spectrum of cellular proteins and are central constituents of the apoptotic machinery. Caspases are regulated by a variety of mechanisms including protein phosphorylation. One intriguing mechanism by which protein kinases can modulate caspase pathways is by blocking substrate cleavage through phosphorylation of residues adjacent to caspase cleavage sites. To explore this mechanism in detail, we recently undertook a systematic investigation using a combination of bioinformatics, peptide arrays, and peptide cleavage assays to identify proteins with overlapping protein kinase and caspase recognition motifs (Duncan et al., Sci Signal 4:ra30, 2011). These studies implicated protein kinase CK2 as a global regulator of apoptotic pathways. In this article, we extend the analysis of proteins with overlapping CK2 and caspase consensus motifs to examine the convergence of CK2 with specific caspases and to identify CK2/caspase substrates known to be phosphorylated or cleaved in cells. Given its constitutive activity and elevated expression in cancer, these observations suggest that the ability of CK2 to modulate caspase pathways may contribute to a role in promoting cancer cell survival and raise interesting prospects for therapeutic targeting of CK2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob P Turowec
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
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45
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Protein kinase CK2 accumulation in “oncophilic” cells: causes and effects. Mol Cell Biochem 2011; 356:5-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s11010-011-0959-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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46
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Lin YC, Hung MS, Lin CK, Li JM, Lee KD, Li YC, Chen MF, Chen JK, Yang CT. CK2 inhibitors enhance the radiosensitivity of human non-small cell lung cancer cells through inhibition of stat3 activation. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 2011; 26:381-8. [PMID: 21711111 DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2010.0917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
CK2 interacts and phosphorylates >300 proteins, including Stat3, and is linked to a number of human cancers. Constitutively activated Stat3 has been reported in 50% of human lung cancers. Inhibition of CK2 activity can induce apoptosis and suppression of Stat3 activation in cancer cells. This study examined the effects of CK2 inhibitors on growth inhibition of lung cancer cells and the therapeutic potential on lung cancer. The CK2 inhibitor and radiation both suppressed cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, the cytotoxic effect of irradiation could be augmented by CK2 inhibitors (p<0.05, two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference). Moreover, the growth inhibition of CK2 inhibitor and irradiation was both associated with suppression of Stat3 activation. Taken together, inhibition of CK2 activity appears to be a promising treatment strategy for non-small cell lung cancer and CK2 inhibition results in reduced Stat3 activation. Our data warrant further effort to develop CK2-targeted radiosensitizer for lung cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ching Lin
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch, Chiayi, Taiwan
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47
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile Filhol
- INSERM, Unité 1036, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38054, France
- Université Joseph Fourier–Grenoble 1, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38041, France
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des Sciences du Vivant/institut de Recherches en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38054, France
| | - Claude Cochet
- INSERM, Unité 1036, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38054, France
- Université Joseph Fourier–Grenoble 1, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38041, France
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des Sciences du Vivant/institut de Recherches en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, Biology of Cancer and Infection, Grenoble, F-38054, France
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48
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Casein kinase-2 mediates cell survival through phosphorylation and degradation of inositol hexakisphosphate kinase-2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:2205-9. [PMID: 21262846 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1019381108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The inositol pyrophosphate, diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate, regulates p53 and protein kinase Akt signaling, and its aberrant increase in cells has been implicated in apoptosis and insulin resistance. Inositol hexakisphosphate kinase-2 (IP6K2), one of the major inositol pyrophosphate synthesizing enzymes, mediates p53-linked apoptotic cell death. Casein kinase-2 (CK2) promotes cell survival and is upregulated in tumors. We show that CK2 mediated cell survival involves IP6K2 destabilization. CK2 physiologically phosphorylates IP6K2 at amino acid residues S347 and S356 contained within a PEST sequence, a consensus site for ubiquitination. HCT116 cells depleted of IP6K2 are resistant to cell death elicited by CK2 inhibitors. CK2 phosphorylation at the degradation motif of IP6K2 enhances its ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. IP6K2 mutants at the CK2 sites that are resistant to CK2 phosphorylation are metabolically stable.
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49
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Raaf J, Bischoff N, Klopffleisch K, Brunstein E, Olsen BB, Vilk G, Litchfield DW, Issinger OG, Niefind K. Interaction between CK2α and CK2β, the subunits of protein kinase CK2: thermodynamic contributions of key residues on the CK2α surface. Biochemistry 2010; 50:512-22. [PMID: 21142136 DOI: 10.1021/bi1013563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The protein Ser/Thr kinase CK2 (former name: casein kinase II) exists predominantly as a heterotetrameric holoenzyme composed of two catalytic subunits (CK2α) bound to a dimer of noncatalytic subunits (CK2β). We undertook a study to further understand how these subunits interact to form the tetramer. To this end, we used recombinant, C-terminal truncated forms of human CK2 subunits that are able to form the holoenzyme. We analyzed the interaction thermodynamics between the binding of CK2α and CK2β as well as the impact of changes in temperature, pH, and the ionization enthalpy of the buffer using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). With structure-guided alanine scanning mutagenesis we truncated individual side chains in the hydrophobic amino acid cluster located within the CK2α interface to identify experimentally the amino acids that dominate affinity. The ITC results indicate that Leu41 or Phe54 single mutations were most disruptive to binding of CK2β. Additionally, these CK2α mutants retained their kinase activity. Furthermore, the substitution of Leu41 in combination with Phe54 showed that the individual mutations were not additive, suggesting that the cooperative action of both residues played a role. Interestingly, the replacement of Ile69, which has a central position in the interaction surface of CK2α, only had modest effects. The differences between Leu41, Phe54, and Ile69 in interaction relevance correlate with solvent accessibility changes during the transition from unbound to CK2β-bound CK2α. Identifying residues on CK2α that play a key role in CK2α/CK2β interactions is important for the future generation of small molecule drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Raaf
- Department für Chemie, Institut für Biochemie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Strasse 47, Köln, Germany
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Kreutzer JN, Ruzzene M, Guerra B. Enhancing chemosensitivity to gemcitabine via RNA interference targeting the catalytic subunits of protein kinase CK2 in human pancreatic cancer cells. BMC Cancer 2010; 10:440. [PMID: 20718998 PMCID: PMC2931491 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-10-440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2010] [Accepted: 08/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pancreatic cancer is a complex genetic disorder that is characterized by rapid progression, invasiveness, resistance to treatment and high molecular heterogeneity. Various agents have been used in clinical trials showing only modest improvements with respect to gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, which continues to be the standard first-line treatment for this disease. However, owing to the overwhelming molecular alterations that have been reported in pancreatic cancer, there is increasing focus on targeting molecular pathways and networks, rather than individual genes or gene-products with a combination of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Methods Cells were transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the individual CK2 subunits. The CK2 protein expression levels were determined and the effect of its down-regulation on chemosensitization of pancreatic cancer cells was investigated. Results The present study examined the impact on cell death following depletion of the individual protein kinase CK2 catalytic subunits alone or in combination with gemcitabine and the molecular mechanisms by which this effect is achieved. Depletion of the CK2α or -α' subunits in combination with gemcitabine resulted in marked apoptotic and necrotic cell death in PANC-1 cells. We show that the mechanism of cell death is associated with deregulation of distinct survival signaling pathways. Cellular depletion of CK2α leads to phosphorylation and activation of MKK4/JNK while down-regulation of CK2α' exerts major effects on the PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusions Results reported here show that the two catalytic subunits of CK2 contribute differently to enhance gemcitabine-induced cell death, the reduced level of CK2α' being the most effective and that simultaneous reduction in the expression of CK2 and other survival factors might be an effective therapeutic strategy for enhancing the sensitivity of human pancreatic cancer towards chemotherapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan N Kreutzer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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