Cloning and disruption of CKB2, the gene encoding the 32-kDa regulatory beta'-subunit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae casein kinase II.

Casein kinase II of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is composed of two distinct catalytic subunits, alpha and alpha', and two distinct regulatory subunits, beta and beta' (Padmanabha, R. and Glover, C. V. C. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 1829-1835; Bidwai, A. P., Reed, J. C., and Glover, C. V. C. (1994) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 309, 348-355). We report here the cloning, sequencing, and disruption of the CKB2 gene encoding the beta'-subunit. The deduced amino acid sequence of Ckb2 displays only 40-45% identity to other beta-subunit sequences reported to date, allowing a better definition of conserved features of this protein. Most notable is the conservation of a cysteine-containing sequence, CPX3C-X22-CPXC, which may constitute a novel metal-binding motif. The degree of sequence divergence of Ckb2 is comparable to that of the Drosophila Stellate protein, a testis-specific protein of unknown function, suggesting that the latter may function as a second beta-subunit in Drosophila. CKB2 is located on the right arm of chromosome XV between the HIR2 and WHI2 loci and has not been previously identified genetically. Haploid and homozygous diploid cells harboring a ckb2 null allele are viable, demonstrating that the beta'-subunit does not have an essential function distinct from that of beta. Strains lacking a functional CKB2 gene appear to grow normally on both fermentable and non-fermentable carbon sources, mate and sporulate normally, and display normal resistance to nitrogen starvation and heat shock. However, haploid strains harboring disruptions of both the beta' gene and either of the catalytic subunit genes exhibit a synthetic phenotype consisting of slow growth and flocculation in rich glucose medium. The occurrence of this synthetic phenotype implies that the beta'-subunit interacts physically and/or functionally with both the alpha- and alpha'-subunits in vivo.