Stem Cell-Like Properties of CK2?-down Regulated Mammary Cells.

ABSTRACT: The ubiquitous protein kinase CK2 has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in a number of human tumours. This enzyme is composed of two catalytic ? or ?' subunits and a dimer of ? regulatory subunits whose expression levels are probably implicated in CK2 regulation. Several recent papers reported that unbalanced expression of CK2 subunits is sufficient to drive epithelial to mesenchymal transition, a process involved in cancer invasion and metastasis. Herein, through transcriptomic and miRNA analysis together with comparison of cellular properties between wild type and CK2?-knock-down MCF10A cells, we show that down-regulation of CK2? subunit in mammary epithelial cells induces the acquisition of stem cell-like properties associated with perturbed polarity, CD44high/CD24low antigenic phenotype and the ability to grow under anchorage-independent conditions. These data demonstrate that a CK2? level establishes a critical cell fate threshold in the control of epithelial cell plasticity. Thus, this regulatory subunit functions as a nodal protein to maintain an epithelial phenotype and its depletion drives breast cell stemness.

SUBMITTER: Duchemin-Pelletier E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5615329 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature