The regulation of RNA polymerase III transcription by protein kinase CK2

In order for cells to proliferate, a certain size has to be reached, which depends primarily on the rate of translation. RNA polymerase (pol) III plays a key role in protein synthesis by catalysing the production of small, untranslated RNA molecules such as transfer (tRNA) and 5S ribosomal RNA (5S rRNA). Indeed, recent evidence suggests that tRNAiMet production is limiting for translation and proliferation in some cell types. Therefore, the rate of pol III transcription plays a fundamental role in cellular growth and proliferation. Regulation of pol III output is mediated via a number of different mechanisms that can alter the activities of the transcription factors which are responsible for directing pol III transcription. Work presented in this thesis aimed at investigating the mechanisms behind the regulation of pol III transcription by the protein kinase CK2