CSNK2A2 and COVID-19: Of note, the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 directly interacts with CK2 components (CSNK2A2 and CSNK2B) and activates its catalytic activity for productive infection (32), and pharmacological intervention of these key processes with CIGB-325, an anti-CK2 peptide, has been shown to attenuate pulmonary lesions in COVID-19 patients in a randomized clinical trial (33).