IRE

Inositol-requiring enzyme 1 comprises IRE1 alpha (ERN1) and the more restricted IRE1 beta (ERN2). Each is an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein with a luminal stress-sensing domain, a cytosolic kinase domain and an endoribonuclease domain; accumulation of misfolded protein drives oligomerization and trans-autophosphorylation, which licenses the RNase. IRE1 alpha then splices XBP1 mRNA to generate the transcription factor XBP1s that expands ER folding capacity, and also degrades selected mRNAs through regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD). IRE1 beta is expressed in intestinal and airway epithelium, where it dampens XBP1 splicing. Persistent activation contributes to inflammatory, metabolic and neoplastic adaptation, and inhibitors such as 4μ8C, KIRA6 and STF-083010 are widely used tools.