PEK

Four stress sensors converge on one output: phosphorylation of Ser51 on the alpha subunit of eIF2, which switches translation from global protein synthesis to selective expression of ATF4. HRI (EIF2AK1) is heme-regulated and protects erythroid cells from oxidative and iron stress; PKR (EIF2AK2) is activated by double-stranded RNA and mediates the antiviral interferon response; PERK (EIF2AK3), the family's namesake, senses unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum and drives the unfolded protein response; and GCN2 (EIF2AK4) binds uncharged tRNA during amino acid starvation. PERK loss-of-function mutations cause Wolcott-Rallison syndrome, and each kinase is a pharmacological target in metabolic, infectious and oncological disease.