Regulation of Taurine Transport Systems by Protein Kinase CK2 in Mammalian Cells

Maintaining cell volume is critical for cellular function yet shift in cell volume is a prerequisite for mitosis and apoptosis. The ubiquitously and evolutionary conserved serine/threonine kinase CK2 promotes cell survival and suppresses apoptosis. The present review describes how mammalian cells regulate the cellular content of the major cellular organic osmolyte, taurine with emphasis on CK2 mediated regulation of active taurine uptake and volume-sensitive taurine release. Furthermore, we discuss how CK2-mediated regulation of taurine homeostasis is potentially involved in cellular functions such as proliferation and survival.