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The association of protein kinase CK2 (formerly casein kinase II or 2) with cell growth and proliferation in cells was apparent at early stages of its investigation. A cancer-specific role for CK2 remained unclear until it was determined that CK2 was also a potent suppressor of cell death (apoptosis); the latter characteristic differentiated its function in normal versus malignant cells because dysregulation of both cell growth and cell death is a universal feature of cancer cells. Over time, it became evident that CK2 exerts its influence on a diverse range of cell functions in normal as well as in transformed cells. As such, CK2 and its substrates are localized in various compartments of the cell. The dysregulation of CK2 is documented in a wide range of malignancies; notably, by increased CK2 protein and activity levels with relatively moderate change in its RNA abundance. High levels of CK2 are associated with poor prognosis in multiple cancer types, and CK2 is a target for active research and testing for cancer therapy. Aspects of CK2 cellular roles and targeting in cancer are discussed in the present review, with focus on nuclear and mitochondrial functions and prostate, breast and head and neck malignancies.

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Evaluation of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and single nucleotide mutation in cancer patients and other diseases is crucial for genotypic characterization in order to select therapy and genetic counseling. The study aim is to develop and optimization for the detection of miR-146a gene rs2910164 C/G polymorphism in breast cancer. Tetra-primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System (T-ARMS) PCR was applied on 60 individuals to determine the genotype and allele frequencies. Genotype frequencies of miR-146a gene rs2910164 C/G polymorphism were homozygous CC 65%; heterozygous CG 6.65%; homozygous GG 28.35%; allele C and G frequencies were 68.5% and 31.5% respectively. These were in Hardy-Weinberg's equilibrium; p=0.18.Our study provides a simple rapid and a cost-effective T-ARMS-PCR molecular technique that could be used for the detection allele specific DNA polymorphisms and mutations in certain diseases and normal population at large scale.

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