title: Double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) fused to green fluorescent protein induces apoptosis of human embryonic kidney cells: possible role in the Fas signaling pathway.
abstract: PKR is an interferon-inducible, double-stranded (ds) RNA-activated serine/threonine protein kinase, and has been shown to play roles in viral pathogenesis, cell growth and apoptosis. We expressed PKR as a fusion protein with enhanced jellyfish green fluorescence protein (EGFP) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells to visualize the effect of PKR transfection. The EGFP-fusion construct with wild-type PKR showed both auto- and substrate-phosphorylation activities independent of dsRNA, indicating EGFP-PKR is constitutively active. The EGFP-construct with a mutant PKR with the first RNA binding domain deleted still possessed kinase activities. On the other hand, the EGFP-fusion with a catalytically inactive mutant of PKR with the substitution of K at 296 with R, which has been shown to have tumorigenic properties, did not possess kinase activities. Transfection of the constitutive active forms of EGFP-PKR constructs induced apoptosis in 293 cells without dsRNA, whereas the EGFP-fusion with the catalytically inactive mutant did not cause apoptosis but rather protected cells from Fas-induced cell death. In addition, Fas-stimulation increased endogenous PKR activities. These results constitute evidence that PKR is sufficient to induce apoptosis, and plays a role in Fas-mediated apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center, Kasugai, Aichi, 480-0392, Japan. takizawa@inst-hsc.pref.aichi.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tatematsu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019556:COS Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D019892:eIF-2 Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*