title: Casein kinase II is required for proper cell division and acts as a negative regulator of centrosome duplication in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.
abstract: Centrosomes are the primary microtubule-organizing centers that orchestrate microtubule dynamics during the cell cycle. The correct number of centrosomes is pivotal for establishing bipolar mitotic spindles that ensure accurate segregation of chromosomes. Thus, centrioles must duplicate once per cell cycle, one daughter per mother centriole, the process of which requires highly coordinated actions among core factors and modulators. Protein phosphorylation is shown to regulate the stability, localization and activity of centrosome proteins. Here, we report the function of Casein kinase II (CK2) in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. The catalytic subunit (KIN-3/CK2α) of CK2 localizes to nuclei, centrosomes and midbodies. Inactivating CK2 leads to cell division defects, including chromosome missegregation, cytokinesis failure and aberrant centrosome behavior. Furthermore, depletion or inhibiting kinase activity of CK2 results in elevated ZYG-1 levels at centrosomes, restoring centrosome duplication and embryonic viability to zyg-1 mutants. Our data suggest that CK2 functions in cell division and negatively regulates centrosome duplication in a kinase-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Medley
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
authors.forename: Megan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kabara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Stubenvoll
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: DeMeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA msong2@oakland.edu.
authors.forename: Mi Hye
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8326-6602
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: CK2; Caenorhabditis elegans; Casein kinase II; Centrosome; KIN-3; ZYG-1