Expression of human PKR protein kinase in transgenic mice

There is a large amount of evidence describing the expression, interaction, and mode of activation of the human interferon (IFN)-mediated double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) gene. Studies from Pkr-null mice have defined the kinase as a transducer of dsRNA signals that converge on transcription, translation, and apoptotic programs involved in the innate resistance to viral infection. In vitro studies also suggest that PKR may possess important cell growth regulatory and tumor suppressor properties. However, the study of Pkr-null mice has not fully elucidated the role that the kinase plays in these processes, in part because of apparent redundancies in PKR-dependent and PKR-independent regulatory pathways. To overcome such limitations and to begin to examine the role of PKR in a complex biologic system, we have generated transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type human (Hu) PKR. HuPKR was expressed and active in various tissues and associated with a small body phenotype. Spleen cells from transgenic mice were resistant to apoptosis when treated with the genotoxic agent actinomycin D and showed a decrease in proliferation in response to con-canavalin A (ConA) compared with spleen cells from wild-type control mice. The initial characterization of this transgenic mouse line suggests it may be useful as a model for investigating biology and diseases relative to a number of scientific disciplines.