Title:Casein Kinase 1δ Inhibitors as Promising Therapeutic Agents for
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Volume: 29
Issue: 27
Author(s): Daniela Catarzi, Flavia Varano, Erica Vigiani, Catia Lambertucci, Andrea Spinaci, Rosaria Volpini and Vittoria Colotta*
Affiliation:
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Psicologia, Area del Farmaco e Salute del Bambino, Sezione di Farmaceutica
e Nutraceutica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Ugo Schiff, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Italy
Keywords:
Casein kinase 1 delta, casein kinase 1 delta inhibitors, neuroprotective agents, anticancer agents, small molecules, natural inhibitors, drug design.
Abstract: Casein kinase 1 (CK1) belongs to the serine-threonine kinase family and is expressed
in all eukaryotic organisms. At least six human isoforms of CK1 (termed α, γ1-3,
δ and ε) have been cloned and characterized. CK1δ isoform modulates several physiological
processes, including DNA damage repair, circadian rhythm, cellular proliferation and
apoptosis. Therefore, CK1δ dysfunction may trigger diverse pathologies, such as cancer,
inflammation and central nervous system disorders. Overexpression and aberrant activity
of CK1δ have been connected to hyperphosphorylation of key proteins implicated in the
development of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases
and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Thus, CK1δ inhibitors have attracted attention
as potential drugs for these pathologies and several compounds have been synthesized or
isolated from natural sources to be evaluated for their CK1δ inhibitory activity. Here we
report a comprehensive review on the development of CK1δ inhibitors, with a particular
emphasis on structure-activity relationships and computational studies, which provide
useful insight for the design of novel inhibitors.