HUMAN PROTEIN-KINASE CK2 GENES

We have analyzed the genomic structure of human protein kinase CK2. Of the presumably four genes, the gene encoding the regulatory subunit beta and a processed (pseudo)gene of the catalytic subunit alpha have been characterized completely. In addition, a 18.9 kb-long central part of the gene encoding the catalytic subunit alpha has been characterized. The subunit beta gene spans 4.2 kb and is composed of seven exons. Its promoter region shows several features of a ''housekeeping gene'' and shares common features with the promoter of the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Conforming to the genomic structure, the beta gene transcripts form a band around 1.1 kb. The central part of the subunit alpha gene contains eight exons comprising bases 102 to 824 of the translated region. Within the introns, 16 Alu repeats were identified, some of which arranged in tandems. The structure of both human CK2 coding genes, alpha and beta, is highly conserved. Several introns are located at corresponding positions in the respective genes of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The processed alpha (pseudo)gene has a complete open reading frame and is 99% homologous to the coding region of the CK2 alpha cDNA, Although the gene has a promoter-like upstream region, no transcript could be identified so far. The genomic clones were used for localization in the human genome. The beta gene was mapped to locus 6p21, the alpha gene to locus 20p13 and the alpha (pseudo)gene to locus 11p15. There is no evidence for additional alpha or beta loci in the human genome.