Roles of protein kinase CK2 during Drosophila neurogenesis
Research
in my laboratory is focused on the mechanisms
underlying neuronal patterning with emphasis on
phosphorylation of bHLH transcriptional repressors
such as E(spl) and Hairy.
The activities of these proteins, members of
the HES family of repressors, are vital for
patterning of sensory organs such as the bristles
and the eye.
The regulation of these bHLH repressors is
being studied by genetic and developmental
approaches.
Our studies suggest that CK2 phosphorylation
stabilizes a conformational state that is permissive
for neural repression.
This conformational change also impacts the
recruitment of Groucho, a co-repressor for all HES
proteins.
Our results suggest that CK2 is an important
participant in inhibitory Notch signaling in
Drosophila.
Relevance to mammalian eye development
is likely since Hes6, which regulates photoreceptor
differentiation in the mouse model, is targeted by
CK2 in a manner similar to that of Drosophila E(spl)/Hairy
proteins.
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