Fig. 1

Depiction of the most relevant CK2 interventions on cellular signaling pathways. Double arrows indicate a dynamic equilibrium that moves toward the longest arrow direction; inhibitions are indicated by bar-headed arrows. a PI3K/Akt pathway: CK2 is known to directly potentiate Akt functions, but it also inhibits PTEN, thus preventing its downregulating functions. b IKK/NFκB pathway: CK2 induces IκBα degradation thus reducing its inhibitory action, and stimulates IKK and the p65 subunit of NFkB. c JAK2/STAT3 pathway: CK2 directly activates JAK2 and STAT3 and, in turn, CK2 expression is under the control of STAT3. d Wnt/β-catenin pathway: CK2 activates Dvl, thus inhibiting the GSK3-mediated degradation of β-catenin, and phosphorylates β-catenin, promoting its stability; moreover, its phosphorylation of TCF/LEF stimulates the β-catenin/LEF complex formation and transcriptional activity. e DNA damage response: CK2 phosphorylates the indicated proteins to improve their DNA repair activity. f Androgen receptor (AR) pathway: CK2 activity increases AR protein stability, leading to promote the AR-dependent transcriptional activity