Down-regulation of CK2 activity results in a decrease in the level of cdc25C phosphatase in different prostate cancer cell lines.

Protein kinase CK2 is implicated in the regulation of the cell cycle. In addition to a variety of functions, CK2 has anti-apoptotic properties. So far the role of CK2 linking both pathways in the cell is not clear. Some years ago we found that CK2 phosphorylates cdc25C, one member of the cdc25 family of proteins. In this study, we showed that inhibition of CK2 activity by three different inhibitors led to a down-regulation of the level of cdc25C. Inhibition of CK2 activity by transfecting the dominant-negative CK2α subunit also resulted in a down-regulation of the level of cdc25C whereas inhibition of CK2α' had no effect on the cdc25C level. In both cases, we observed apoptosis by PARP cleavage as well as by an increase in γH2AX phosphorylation. These results show that down-regulation of the level of cdc25C is not a prerequisite for the induction of apoptosis.

The G2/M checkpoint phosphatase cdc25C is located within centrosomes.

cdc25C is a phosphatase which regulates the activity of the mitosis promoting factor cyclin B/cdk1 by dephosphorylation, thus triggering G(2)/M transition. The activity and the sub-cellular localisation of cdc25C are regulated by phosphorylation. It is well accepted that cdc25C has to enter the nucleus to activate the cyclin B/cdk1 complex at G(2)/M transition. Here, we will show that cdc25C is located in the cytoplasm at defined dense structures, which according to immunofluorescence analysis, electron microscopy as well as biochemical subfractionation, are proven to be the centrosomes. Since cyclin B and cdk1 are also located at the centrosomes, this subfraction of cdc25C might participate in the control of the onset of mitosis suggesting a further role for cdc25C at the centrosomes.