Past, Present and Future of Protein Kinase CK2 Research

Dear Colleagues,

CK2 (formerly known as casein kinase 2) was the first protein kinase to be discovered in 1954. Since then, a huge number of studies have been published that tried to disclose its biochemical properties and its physiological and pathological roles. It is now established that CK2 is constitutively active, ubiquitously expressed, and involved in many biological processes as well as in the pathogenesis of important human diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration and inflammation. However, despite much time and scientific effort, CK2 remains an enigmatic enzyme, as we are still far from fully understanding its actual pathophysiological roles, and the mechanisms that might modulate its functions.  Moreover, although it has long been considered a promising pharmacological target for diverse pathologies, and several inhibitors with increasing efficacy and specificity have been developed over the years, the actual value of its targeting in cancer has been recently questioned and deserves further debate. Furthermore, while its therapeutic targeting has been so far considered in terms of inhibition, the recent discovery of genetic diseases related to mutations of CK2 genes prompts the investigation of strategies to stimulate its activity, which has not been available so far.

It is, therefore, time for a Special Issue that on one hand retraces the main discoveries of CK2, and on the other, summarizes recent research and presents updates and new advances in the field.

In this Special Issue, we will, therefore, welcome original, commentary and review contributions in all areas of CK2 research and biological systems, with emphasis on works attempting to answer outstanding questions: how can a constitutive kinase be regulated? How many substrates and molecular partners does it currently count? For which human diseases does it really represent a therapeutic target, and which are the best pharmacological strategies? We look forward to contributions on these crucial issues as well as the many others that will be identified by the numerous scientists who work on CK2 or come across this fundamental enzyme.

Dr. Mauro Salvi
Prof. Dr. Maria Ruzzene
Guest Editors

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