The interferon-inducible, double-stranded (ds) RNAdependent serine/threonine protein kinase (PKR) plays a role in viral pathogenesis, cell growth, and differentiation and is implicated as a tumor suppressor gene. Expression of a trans-dominant negative, catalytically inactive mutant PKR protected NIH3T3 cells from apoptosis in response to either treatment with tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF␣), serum deprivation. In cells expressing mutant PKR, TNF␣, but not dsRNA induced transcription from a nuclear factor B-dependent promoter, demonstrating specificity for dsRNA in signaling through the PKR pathway. Serum or plateletderived growth factor addition to serum-deprived mutant PKR-expressing cells induced transcription of the early response genes c-fos and c-jun, indicating that the immediate early response signaling was intact. Overexpression of wild-type PKR in a transient DNA transfection system was sufficient to induce apoptosis. TNF␣-induced apoptosis correlated with increased phosphorylation of the ␣ subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF-2␣), the primary physiological substrate of the PKR. Furthermore, forced expression of a nonphosphorylatable S51A mutant eIF-2␣ partially protected cells from TNF␣-induced apoptosis, and expression of a S51D mutant eIF-2␣, a mutant that mimics phosphorylated eIF-2␣, was sufficient to induce apoptosis. Taken together, these studies identify a novel requirement for PKR in stress-induced apoptosis that is mediated through eIF-2␣ phosphorylation.

As the molecular processes of complex cell stress signaling pathways are defined, the subsequent challenge is to elucidate how each individual event influences the final biological outcome. Phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2␣) at Ser 51 is a molecular signal that inhibits translation in response to activation of any of four diverse eIF2␣ stress kinases. We used gene targeting to replace the wild-type Ser 51 allele with an Ala in the eIF2␣ gene to test the hypothesis that translational control through eIF2␣ phosphorylation is a central death stimulus in eukaryotic cells. Homozygous eIF2␣ mutant mouse embryo fibroblasts were resistant to the apoptotic effects of dsRNA, tumor necrosis factor-␣, and serum deprivation. TNF␣ treatment induced eIF2␣ phosphorylation and activation of caspase 3 primarily through the dsRNA-activated eIF2␣ kinase PKR. In addition, expression of a phospho-mimetic Ser 51 to Asp mutant eIF2␣-activated caspase 3, indicating that eIF2␣ phosphorylation is sufficient to induce apoptosis. The proapoptotic effects of PKR-mediated eIF2␣ phosphorylation contrast with the anti-apoptotic response upon activation of the PKR-related endoplasmic reticulum eIF2␣ kinase, PERK. Therefore, divergent fates of death and survival can be mediated through phosphorylation at the same site within eIF2␣. We propose that eIF2␣ phosphorylation is fundamentally a death signal, yet it may promote either death or survival, depending upon coincident signaling events.

The double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) provides a fundamental control step in the regulation of protein synthesis initiation through phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF-2␣), a process that prevents polypeptide chain initiation. In such a manner, activated PKR inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis, whereas disruption of normal PKR signaling results in unregulated cell growth. Therefore, tight control of PKR activity is essential for regulated cell growth. PKR is activated by dsRNA binding to two conserved dsRNA binding domains within its amino terminus. We isolated a ribosomal protein L18 by interaction with PKR. L18 is a 22-kDa protein that is overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissue. L18 competed with dsRNA for binding to PKR, reversed dsRNA binding to PKR, and did not directly bind dsRNA. Mutation of K64E within the first dsRNA binding domain of PKR destroyed both dsRNA binding and L18 interaction, suggesting that the two interactive sites overlap. L18 inhibited both PKR autophosphorylation and PKR-mediated phosphorylation of eIF-2␣ in vitro. Overexpression of L18 by transient DNA transfection reduced eIF-2␣ phosphorylation and stimulated translation of a reporter gene in vivo. These results demonstrate that L18 is a novel regulator of PKR activity, and we propose that L18 prevents PKR activation by dsRNA while PKR is associated with the ribosome. Overexpression of L18 may promote protein synthesis and cell growth in certain cancerous tissue through inhibition of PKR activity.