REGULATION OF PROTEIN-KINASE CK2 ISOFORM EXPRESSION DURING RAT-BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Protein kinase CK2 is very abundant in rat brain when compared with ot her rat tissues. The enzyme is an oligomeric protein with the structur es alpha(2) beta(2), alpha alpha'beta(2) and alpha'(2) beta(2). The al pha and alpha' subunits are catalytic and have a high degree of homolo gy, whereas the beta subunit seems regulatory. Using specific antibodi es to synthetic peptide antigens that discriminate among the alpha, al pha', and beta subunits of CK2, we have observed a significant increas e in the amount of alpha' subunit during the late postnatal neocortica l maturation period. The increased alpha' expression occurs at a paral lel time to synaptogenesis. As for its distribution, the alpha' subuni t of CK2 is much more abundant in neurons (particularly in large size neurons) than it is in glia. These results are consistent with a hypot hetical role for CK2 isoforms containing alpha' subunits in the regula tion of specific functions in fully differentiated neurons.