A gene located at 72A in Drosophila melanogaster encodes a novel zinc-finger protein that interacts with protein kinase CK2.

Drosophila melanogaster protein kinase CK2 (DmCK2) is a Ser/Thr protein kinase composed of catalytic alpha and regulatory beta subunits associated as an alpha2beta2 heterotetramer. Using the two hybrid system, we have screened a Drosophila embryo cDNA library in order to identify proteins that interact with DmCK2alpha. One of these cDNAs encodes a novel previously undescribed zinc-finger protein, which we call ZFP47. ZFP47 interacts with DmCK2alpha but not with DmCK2beta, indicating that this interaction is specific for the catalytic subunit of CK2. In situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes indicates that the corresponding gene is located at the 72A interval of chromosome III. Sequence analysis indicates that ZFP47 contains a consensus site for phosphorylation by CK2, 4 C1H1-type zinc-fingers, and a bipartite nuclear localization signal. Consistent with the prediction of a site for phosphorylation by CK2, we demonstrate that ZFP47 is phosphorylated by CK2 purified from Drosophila embryos. These studies demonstrate that ZFP47 is a new physiological partner and substrate of CK2.