PKR Antibody (PRKR)

Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 2-Alpha Kinase 2, also called PKR (Protein kinase RNA activated), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the EIF2AK2 gene. Activation of the protein allows the kinase to phosphorylate its natural substrate, the alpha subunit of eukaryotic protein synthesis initiation factor-2, leading to the inhibition of protein synthesis(summary by Kuhen et al., 1996). By FISH analysis, Squire et al.(1993) assigned the gene to the boundary between chromosome 2p22-p21. Ben-Asouli et al.(2002) showed that human gamma-interferon mRNA uses local activation of PKR in the cell to control its own translation yield. IFNG mRNA was found to activate PKR through a pseudoknot in its 5-prime untranslated region. Taylor et al.(1999) studied the mechanism underlying the resistance of hepatitis C virus(HCV) to interferon. They demonstrated that the HCV envelope protein E2 contains a sequence identical with phosphorylation sites of the interferon-inducible protein kinase PKR and its target, the translation initiation factor EIF2-alpha. E2 inhibited the kinase activity of the protein and blocked its inhibitory effect on protein synthesis and cell growth.