Cellular regulators of protein kinase CK2

Protein phosphorylation is a key regulatory post-translational modification and is involved in the control of many cellular processes. Protein kinase CK2, formerly known as casein kinase II, which is a ubiquitous and highly conserved protein serine/threonine kinase, plays a central role in the control of a variety of pathways in cell proliferation, transformation, apoptosis and senescence. An understanding of the regulation of such a central protein kinase would greatly help our comprehension of the regulation of many pathways in cellular regulation. A number of reviews have addressed the detection, the development, and the characterization of inhibitors of CK2. The present review focuses on possible natural regulators of CK2, i.e. proteins and other cellular factors that bind to CK2 and thereby regulate its activity. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.