A Novel Dysferlin-Binding Kinase CK2α Promotes Plasma Membrane Repair in Dysferlinopathy

Dysferlinopathy is an adult-onset form of muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the dysferlin gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Dysferlin is primarily known for its role in plasma membrane repair. Although several proteins associated with dysferlin have been identified, many aspects of its signaling pathways and protein-protein interactions remain unclear. Here, we focused on the region between the third and fourth C2 domains, where frequent genetic mutations occur and functional domains are concentrated, and identified the protein kinase CK2α (formerly known as casein kinase 2) as a novel dysferlin-binding protein. CK2α was found to accumulate at membrane injury sites along with dysferlin in mouse skeletal muscle, and membrane repair was delayed in CK2α knockout cells. Furthermore, overexpression of CK2α in dysferlin-deficient mouse muscle led to improved membrane repair. Additionally, we revealed that CK2α plays a role in phosphorylating annexin A1, which is known to bind to dysferlin and is involved in plasma membrane repair. Our results indicated that CK2α controls membrane repair by participating in the phosphorylation of annexin A1. The molecular interplay among dysferlin, CK2α, and phosphorylated annexin A1 represents a novel therapeutic target for promoting membrane repair.