PKR condensation at viral replication complexes initiates its activation

Ebba K Blomqvist1, Nicole Bracci2, Helena Winstone2

  • 1Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim University of Florida Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Herbert Wertheim University of Florida Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA; Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.

Cell Reports
|April 24, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Protein kinase R (PKR) activates by condensing on viral RNA, then dissolving to trigger antiviral immunity. This process allows continuous activation, though MERS-CoV can block it.

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