[Therapeutic potential of protein kinase CK2 modulators]

Data on the nuclear cascade of signal transduction, including protein kinase CK2 (PKCK2), transcription factor HMG14 and chromatin myosin-like proteins, are generalized with regard for the modern understanding of mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. The role of the neurospecific isoform and subunit structure of PKCK2, of the individual subunit autophosphorylation of PKCK2, of phosphorylation of substrate-proteins in the enzyme activity and of conformation transformations of chromatin is examined. Data on changes in the CK2-induced cascade and synaptic plasticity in learning, on age-related amnesia and on cognitive deficits induced by ethanol and chloridine in rat embryos are presented. The prospects for using modulators PKCK2, 4,5-di(N-methylcarbamoyl)-l-alkyl-imidazoles, as potential nootropics are discussed.