Genes targeted by protein kinase CK2: a genome-wide expression array analysis in yeast

Protein kinase CK2, a tetramer composed of two catalytically active (CK2alpha isoforms) and two regulatory (CK2beta isoforms) subunits, is suspected to have, among others, a role in gene transcription. To identify the genes targeted by CK2, the transcriptional effect of silencing the CK2 subunit genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CK2alpha isoform genes: CKA1 and CKA2; CK2beta isoform genes: CKB1 and CKB2) was examined using genome-wide expression array analysis (oligonucleotide array chips). Silencing did not influence the overwhelming majority (5801) of the over six thousand open reading frames composing the yeast genome. Cells knocked-out for both CKA1 and CKA2 and plasmid-rescued by Cka1 affected specifically at 2-fold discrimination level the transcription of 57 genes, and when rescued by Cka2, the transcription of 118 genes. In CKB1/CKB2 double knock-outs, transcription of 54 genes was specifically altered. Interestingly, aside overlaps between the gene spectra affected by CKA1 and CKA2 silencing, there were overlaps also between those influenced by CK2alpha and CK2beta isoform silencing. The data indicate a distinct role of CK2 in gene transcription control, identify specific functional differences between the two catalytic subunits in gene targeting, and reveal independent effects by the regulatory subunits.