Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Monitoring Activation of the Antiviral Pattern Recognition Receptors RIG-I And PKR By Limited Protease Digestion and Native PAGE
Published on: July 29, 2014
Regulation of the interferon-inducible eIF-2 alpha protein kinase by small RNAs
M J Clemens1, K G Laing, I W Jeffrey
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
Abstract:
This review describes the structure and function of the double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) and its interaction with RNA activators and inhibitors. The abilities of small virally-encoded RNAs such as VAI RNA of adenovirus, the Epstein-Barr virus encoded (EBER) RNAs and the Tat-responsive region RNA of HIV-1 to bind to and regulate PKR are reviewed, and the physiological implications of such regulation for the control of viral replication and cell growth are discussed. The potential effects on the activity of PKR of other proteins that bind double-stranded RNA and/or small viral and cellular RNAs are also considered.
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