title: An emerging role for p21-activated kinases (Paks) in viral infections.
abstract: p21-activated protein kinases (Paks) are cytosolic serine/threonine protein kinases that act as effectors for small (p21) GTPases of the Cdc42 and Rac families. It has long been established that Paks play a major role in a host of vital cellular functions such as proliferation, survival and motility, and abnormal Pak function is associated with a number of human diseases. Here, we discuss emerging evidence that these enzymes also play a major role in the entry, replication and spread of many important pathogenic human viruses, including HIV. Careful assessment of the potential role of Paks in antiviral immunity will be pivotal to evaluate thoroughly the potential of agents that inhibit Pak as a new class of anti-viral therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Celine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van den Broeke
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radu
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chernoff
authors.forename: Herman W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Favoreel
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000502:physiology; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000502:physiology; D015613:Hepadnaviridae / Q000502:physiology; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011212:Poxviridae / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D053586:Virus Internalization; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology; D054462:p21-Activated Kinases / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015693:Gene Products, nef; C515903:PAK1 protein, human; C515907:PAK2 protein, human; D054462:p21-Activated Kinases