Impact of CK2ɑWT in lymphocyte development within neuroblastoma
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Citation
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is an aggressive pediatric cancer associated with aberrant oncogenic MYCN amplification in ~50% of high-risk cases. The amplification of MYCN helps promote a “cold” microenvironment, characterized by fewer CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, making this cancer difficult to treat. This research utilizes zebrafish overexpressing the alpha subunit of casein kinase II (CK2ɑWT) in lymphocytes and zebrafish MYCN-driven NB model to unravel the complex regulation of protein kinases on lymphocyte development. CK2 overexpression leads to an initial decreased number of lymphocytes in the thymus yet delayed thymus involution. We also observed increased CD8+ and IgM+ cells in the kidney (bone marrow equivalent in fish) of CK2ɑWT fish in the absence of tumor development. The findings indicate altered lymphocyte development driven by CK2. Future studies are needed to further elucidate the functional relationship of CK2 and lymphocyte development and its contribution to MYCN-driven immune evasion, to develop therapeutic strategies for the treatment of NB and other MYCN-driven cancers.
Description
2025