S. Balachandran et al., Essential role for the dsRNA-dependent protein kinase PKR in innate immunity to viral infection, IMMUNITY, 13(1), 2000, pp. 129-141
The double-stranded (ds) RNA-dependent protein kinase PKR is considered to
play an important role in interferon's (IFN's) response to viral infection.
Here, we demonstrate that mice lacking PKR are predisposed to lethal intra
nasal infection by the usually innocuous vesicular stomatitis virus, and al
so display increased susceptibility to influenza virus infection. Our data
indicate that in normal cells, PKR primarily prevents virus replication by
inhibiting the translation of viral mRNAs through phosphorylation of elF2 a
lpha, while concomitantly assisting in the production of autocrine IFN and
the establishment of an antiviral state. These results show that PKR is an
essential component of innate immunity that acts early in host defense prio
r to the onset of IFN counteraction and the acquired immune response.