Protein kinase CK2 is an inhibitor of the neuronal Cdk5 kinase

Casein Kinase 2 Signaling in White Matter Stroke

The growth of the aging population, together with improved stroke care, has resulted in an increase in stroke survivors and a rise in recurrent events. Axonal injury and white matter (WM) dysfunction are responsible for much of the disability observed after stroke. The mechanisms of WM injury are distinct compared to gray matter and change with age. Therefore, an ideal stroke therapeutic must restore neuronal and axonal function when applied before or after a stroke, and it must also protect across age groups. Casein kinase 2 (CK2), is expressed in the brain, including WM, and is regulated during the development and numerous disease conditions such as cancer and ischemia. CK2 activation in WM mediates ischemic injury by activating the Cdk5 and AKT/GSK3β signaling pathways. Consequently, CK2 inhibition using the small molecule inhibitor CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) correlates with preservation of oligodendrocytes, conservation of axon structure, and axonal mitochondria, leading to improved functional recovery. Remarkably, CK2 inhibition promotes WM function when applied after ischemic injury by specifically regulating the AKT/GSK3β pathways. The blockade of the active conformation of AKT confers post-ischemic protection to young and old WM by preserving mitochondria, implying AKT as a common therapeutic target across age groups. Using a NanoString nCounter miRNA expression profiling, comparative analyses of ischemic WM with or without CX-4945 treatment reveal that miRNAs are expressed at high levels in WM after ischemia, and CX-4945 differentially regulates some of these miRNAs. Therefore, we propose that miRNA regulation may be one of the protective actions of CX-4945 against WM ischemic injury. Silmitasertib is FDA approved and currently in use for cancer and Covid patients; therefore, it is plausible to repurpose CK2 inhibitors for stroke patients.

Simultaneous CK2/TNIK/DYRK1 inhibition by 108600 suppresses triple negative breast cancer stem cells and chemotherapy-resistant disease

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains challenging because of heterogeneous responses to chemotherapy. Incomplete response is associated with a greater risk of metastatic progression. Therefore, treatments that target chemotherapy-resistant TNBC and enhance chemosensitivity would improve outcomes for these high-risk patients. Breast cancer stem cell-like cells (BCSCs) have been proposed to represent a chemotherapy-resistant subpopulation responsible for tumor initiation, progression and metastases. Targeting this population could lead to improved TNBC disease control. Here, we describe a novel multi-kinase inhibitor, 108600, that targets the TNBC BCSC population. 108600 treatment suppresses growth, colony and mammosphere forming capacity of BCSCs and induces G2M arrest and apoptosis of TNBC cells. In vivo, 108600 treatment of mice bearing triple negative tumors results in the induction of apoptosis and overcomes chemotherapy resistance. Finally, treatment with 108600 and chemotherapy suppresses growth of pre-established TNBC metastases, providing additional support for the clinical translation of this agent to clinical trials.

Mechanisms Regulating the Association of Protein Phosphatase 1 with Spinophilin and Neurabin

Protein phosphorylation is a key mediator of signal transduction, allowing for dynamic regulation of substrate activity. Whereas protein kinases obtain substrate specificity by targeting specific amino acid sequences, serine/threonine phosphatase catalytic subunits are much more promiscuous in their ability to dephosphorylate substrates. To obtain substrate specificity, serine/threonine phosphatases utilize targeting proteins to regulate phosphatase subcellular localization and catalytic activity. Spinophilin and its homologue neurabin are two of the most abundant dendritic spine-localized protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) targeting proteins. The association between spinophilin and PP1 is increased in the striatum of animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, mechanisms that regulate the association of spinophilin and neurabin with PP1 are unclear. Here, we report that the association between spinophilin and PP1α or PP1γ1 was increased by CDK5 expression and activation in a heterologous cell system. This increased association is at least partially due to phosphorylation of PP1. Conversely, CDK5 expression and activation decreased the association of PP1 with neurabin. As with dopamine depletion, methamphetamine (METH) abuse causes persistent alterations in dopamine signaling which influence striatal medium spiny neuron function and biochemistry. Moreover, both METH toxicity and dopamine depletion are associated with deficits in motor control and motor learning. Pathologically, we observed a decreased association of spinophilin with PP1 in rat striatum evaluated one month following a binge METH paradigm. Behaviorally, we found that loss of spinophilin recapitulates rotarod pathology previously observed in dopamine-depleted and METH-treated animals. Together, these data have implications in multiple disease states associated with altered dopamine signaling such as PD and psychostimulant drug abuse and delineate a novel mechanism by which PP1 interactions with spinophilin and neurabin may be differentially regulated.

Protein kinase CK2 in development and differentiation

Among the human kinomes, protein kinase CK2 (formerly termed casein kinase II) is considered to be essential, as it is implicated in the regulation of various cellular processes. Experiments with pharmacological inhibitors of the kinase activity of CK2 provide evidence that CK2 is essential for development and differentiation. Therefore, the present review addresses the role of CK2 during embryogenesis, neuronal, adipogenic, osteogenic and myogenic differentiation in established model cell lines, and in embryonic, neural and mesenchymal stem cells. CK2 kinase activity appears to be essential in the early stages of differentiation, as CK2 inhibition at early time points generally prevents differentiation. In addition, the present review reports on target proteins of CK2 in embryogenesis and differentiation.

ATM protein kinase: the linchpin of cellular defenses to stress

ATM is the most significant molecule involved in monitoring the genomic integrity of the cell. Any damage done to DNA relentlessly challenges the cellular machinery involved in recognition, processing and repair of these insults. ATM kinase is activated early to detect and signal lesions in DNA, arrest the cell cycle, establish DNA repair signaling and faithfully restore the damaged chromatin. ATM activation plays an important role as a barrier to tumorigenesis, metabolic syndrome and neurodegeneration. Therefore, studies of ATM-dependent DNA damage signaling pathways hold promise for treatment of a variety of debilitating diseases through the development of new therapeutics capable of modulating cellular responses to stress. In this review, we have tried to untangle the complex web of ATM signaling pathways with the purpose of pinpointing multiple roles of ATM underlying the complex phenotypes observed in AT patients.

Cdk5: mediator of neuronal development, death and the response to DNA damage

In the central nervous system, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), an unusual member of the Cdk family, is implicated in the regulation of various physiological processes ranging from neuronal survival, migration and differentiation, to synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission. Dysregulation of this kinase has been demonstrated to play a critical role in the pathogenic process of neurodegenerative disorders. DNA damage is emerging as an important pathological component in various neurodegenerative conditions. In this review, we discuss the recent progress regarding the regulation and roles of Cdk5 under physiological conditions, and its dysregulation under pathological conditions, especially in neuronal death mediated by DNA damage.

Protein kinase CK2 regulates the formation and clearance of aggresomes in response to stress

Misfolded protein aggregates elicit a stress response, and their clearance is crucial for cell survival. These aggregates are transported by cytoplasmic deacetylase HDAC6 and dynein motors to the aggresome via the microtubule network, and are removed by autophagic degradation. HDAC6 activity is necessary for both the transport and clearance of protein aggregates. However, the cellular factors that regulate HDAC6 activity remain unknown. Here we show that protein kinase CK2 is a crucial modulator of HDAC6 activity because CK2 directly phosphorylates HDAC6 and increases cytoplasmic deacetylase activity. Indeed, cells that expressed HDAC6 mutated at Ser458, a CK2-mediated phosphorylation site, failed to both form and clear aggresomes, and increased cytotoxicity. Interestingly, Ser458 is conserved only in higher primates, such as human and chimpanzee, but not in the rhesus macaque. These findings identify CK2 as a crucial protein involved in the formation and clearance of aggresomes, and hence in cell viability in response to misfolded protein stress.

Actin interaction and regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5/p35 complex activity

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) plays a critical role during neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, and neurodegeneration. Cdk5 activity depends on association with neuronal proteins p35 and p25, a proteolytic product of p35. Cdk5 regulates the actin cytoskeletal dynamics that are essential for neuronal migration, neuritic growth, and synaptogenesis. However, little is known about the interaction of actin and Cdk5 and its effect on neuronal Cdk5 activity. In a previous study, we observed that Cdk5/p35 activity is negatively correlated with co-immunoprecipitated F-actin (filamentous actin) amounts in the mouse brain, and suggested that F-actin inhibits the formation of the Cdk5/p35 complex [Journal of Neuroscience (2008) vol. 28, p. 14511]. The experiments reported here were undertaken to elucidate the relationship between actin and the formation of the Cdk5/p35 complex and its activity. Instead of an F-actin-mediated inhibition, we propose that G-actin (globular actin) in the F-actin preparations is responsible for inhibiting Cdk5/p35 and Cdk5/p25 kinase activity. We found that F-actin binds to p35 but not p25 or Cdk5. We have shown that G-actin binds directly to Cdk5 without disrupting the formation of the Cdk5/p35 or Cdk5/p25 complexes. G-actin potently suppressed Cdk5/p35 and Cdk5/p25 activity when either histone H1 or purified human tau protein were used as substrates, indicating a substrate-independent inhibitory effect of G-actin on Cdk5 activity. Finally, G-actin suppressed the activity of Cdk5 immunoprecipitated from wild type and p35-deficient mouse brain, suggesting that G-actin suppresses endogenous Cdk5 activity in a p35-independent manner. Together, these results suggest a novel mechanism of actin cytoskeletal regulation of Cdk5/p35 activity.

CK2 and GSK3 phosphorylation on S29 controls wild-type ATXN3 nuclear uptake

In the present work we show that murine ATXN3 (ATXN3Q6) nuclear uptake is promoted by phosphorylation on serine 29, a highly conserved residue inside the Josephin domain. Both casein kinase 2 (CK2) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) are able to carry out phosphorylation on this residue. S29 phosphorylation was initially assessed in vitro on purified ATXN3Q6, and subsequently confirmed in transfected COS-7 cells, by MS analysis. Site-directed mutagenesis of S29 to an alanine was shown to strongly reduce nuclear uptake, in COS-7 transiently transfected cells overexpressing ATXN3Q6, while substitution with phospho-mimic aspartic acid restored the wild-type phenotype. Finally, treatment with CK2 and GSK3 inhibitors prevented S29 phosphorylation and strongly inhibited nuclear uptake, showing that both kinases are involved in ATXN3Q6 subcellular sorting. Although other authors have previously addressed this issue, we show for the first time that ATXN3 is phosphorylated inside the Josephin domain and that S29 phosphorylation is involved in nuclear uptake of ATXN3.

Casein kinase II interacts with prion protein in vitro and forms complex with native prion protein in vivo

The most essential and crucial step during the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy is the conformational change of cellular prion protein to pathologic isoform. Casein kinase II (CK2) is a ubiquitously expressed and evolutionarily conserved pleiotropic protein kinase that is essential for viability. To explore the possible molecular interaction between CK2 and prion protein (PrP), the full-length sequences of human CK2alpha and CK2beta complementary DNA were amplified with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using the total messenger RNA from cell line SH-SY5Y as the template; then, the fusion proteins histidine-CK2alpha and glutathione S-transferase-histidine-CK2beta were expressed in Escherichia coli. The interaction between CK2 and PrP was evaluated with co-immunoprecipitation and pull-down assays. The results demonstrated that recombinant PrP bound specifically with CK2alpha, but not with CK2beta. The native CK2 and PrP in hamster brains interacted with each other, forming protein complexes. Three different glycosylated forms of PrP (diglycosylated, monoglycosylated and unglycosylated PrP) from normal brains interacted with the CK2alpha subunit, though the unglycosylated PrP seemed to have a stronger binding ability with CK2alpha subunit. The domain responsible for interacting with CK2alpha was located at the C-terminal segment of PrP (residues 91-231). This study proposed reliable experimental data for the molecular interaction between PrP and CK2alpha (both in recombinant and native categories), scientific clues for further assessing the potential biological significance of the PrP-CK2 interaction, and the possible role of CK2 in the pathogenesis of prion diseases.

Microtubule association of the neuronal p35 activator of Cdk5

Cdk5 and its neuronal activator p35 play an important role in neuronal migration and proper development of the brain cortex. We show that p35 binds directly to alpha/beta-tubulin and microtubules. Microtubule polymers but not the alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimer block p35 interaction with Cdk5 and therefore inhibit Cdk5-p35 activity. p25, a neurotoxin-induced and truncated form of p35, does not have tubulin and microtubule binding activities, and Cdk5-p25 is inert to the inhibitory effect of microtubules. p35 displays strong activity in promoting microtubule assembly and inducing formation of microtubule bundles. Furthermore, microtubules stabilized by p35 are resistant to cold-induced disassembly. In cultured cortical neurons, a significant proportion of p35 localizes to microtubules. When microtubules were isolated from rat brain extracts, p35 co-assembled with microtubules, including cold-stable microtubules. Together, these findings suggest that p35 is a microtubule-associated protein that modulates microtubule dynamics. Also, microtubules play an important role in the control of Cdk5 activation.

Regulation of s6 kinase 1 activation by phosphorylation at ser-411

Ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), as a key regulator of mRNA translation, plays an important role in cell cycle progression through the G(1) phase of proliferating cells and in the synaptic plasticity of terminally differentiated neurons. Activation of S6K1 involves the phosphorylation of its multiple Ser/Thr residues, including the proline-directed sites (Ser-411, Ser-418, Thr-421, and Ser-424) in the autoinhibitory domain near the C terminus. Phosphorylation at Thr-389 is also a crucial event in S6K1 activation. Here, we report that S6K1 phosphorylation at Ser-411 is required for the rapamycin-sensitive phosphorylation of Thr-389 and the subsequent activation of S6K1. Mutation of Ser-411 to Ala ablated insulin-induced Thr-389 phosphorylation and S6K1 activation, whereas mutation mimicking Ser-411 phosphorylation did not show any effect. Furthermore, phosphomimetic mutation of Thr-389 overcame the inhibitory effect of the mutation S411A. Thus, Ser-411 phosphorylation regulates S6K1 activation via the control of Thr-389 phosphorylation. In nervous system neurons, Cdk5-p35 kinase associates with S6K1 via the direct interaction between p35 and S6K1 and catalyzes S6K1 phosphorylation specifically at Ser-411. Inhibition of the Cdk5 activity or suppression of Cdk5 expression blocked S6K1 phosphorylation at Ser-411 and Thr-389, resulting in S6K1 inactivation. Similar results were obtained by treating asynchronous populations of proliferating cells with the CDK inhibitor compound roscovitine. Altogether, our findings suggest a novel mechanism by which the CDK-mediated phosphorylation regulates the activation of S6K1.

Identification of Nuclear Import Mechanisms for the Neuronal Cdk5 Activator

The activation of Cdk5 by p35 plays a pivotal role in a multitude of nervous system activities ranging from neuronal differentiation to degeneration. A fraction of Cdk5 and p35 localizes in the nucleus where Cdk5-p35 exerts its functions via protein phosphorylation, and p35 displays a dynamic localization between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Here, we examined the nuclear import properties of p35. In nuclear import assays, p35 was actively transported into the nuclei of digitonin-permeabilized HeLa cells and cortical neurons by cytoplasmic carrier-mediated mechanisms. Importin-beta, importin-5, and importin-7 were identified to import p35 into the nuclei via a direct interaction with it. An N-terminal region of p35 was defined to interact with the above importins, serving as a nuclear localization signal. Finally, we show that the nuclear localization of p35 does not require the association of Cdk5. Furthermore, Cdk5 and importin-beta/5/7 are mutually exclusive in binding to p35. These results suggest that p35 employs pathways distinct from that used by Cdk5 for transport to the nucleus.

Nerve growth factor-induced phosphorylation of amphiphysin-1 by casein kinase 2 regulates clathrin-amphiphysin interactions

Amphiphysins interact directly with clathrin and have a function in clathrin-mediated synaptic vesicle recycling and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The neuronal isoform amphiphysin-1 is a serine/threonine phosphoprotein that is dephosphorylated upon stimulation of synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Rephosphorylation was stimulated by nerve growth factor. We analysed the regulation of amphiphysin-clathrin interactions by phosphorylation. The N-terminal domain of clathrin bound to unphosphorylated amphiphysin-1, but not to the phosphorylated protein. A search for possible phosphorylation sites revealed two casein kinase 2 consensus motifs in close proximity to the clathrin binding sites in amphiphysin-1 and -2. We mutagenized these residues (T350 and T387) to glutamate, mimicking a constitutive phosphorylation. The double mutant showed a strong reduction in clathrin binding. The assumption that casein kinase 2 phosphorylates amphiphysin-1 at T350 and T387 was corroborated by experiments showing that: (i) casein kinase 2 phosphorylated these residues directly in vitro, (ii) when expressed in HeLa cells, the glutamate mutant showed reduced phosphorylation, and (iii) casein kinase 2 inhibitors blocked nerve growth factor-induced phosphorylation of endogenous amphiphysin-1 in PC12 cells. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that, upon activation by nerve growth factor, casein kinase 2 phosphorylates amphiphysin-1 and thereby regulates the endocytosis of clathrin-coated vesicles via the interaction between clathrin and amphiphysin.

Activation of latent cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5)-p35 complexes by membrane dissociation

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a Ser/Thr kinase of increasingly recognized importance in a large number of fields, ranging from neuronal migration to synaptic plasticity and neurodegeneration. However, little is known about its mechanism of activation beyond its requirement for binding to p35 or p39. We have examined membrane interactions as one method of regulating the Cdk5-p35 complex. The kinase activity of Cdk5-p35 is low when it is bound to membranes. The Cdk5-p35 found in rat brain extract associates with membranes in two ways. Approximately 75% of complexes associate with membranes via ionic interactions only, and the remaining 25% associate with membranes via ionic interactions together with lipidic interactions. Solubilization with detergent or high-salt solution activates Cdk5-p35 several fold, and this activation is reversible. Therefore, membrane interactions represent a novel mechanism for the regulation of Cdk5-p35 kinase activity.