IRE1 Antibody

This gene encodes the transmembrane protein kinase inositol-requiring enzyme 1. The encoded protein contains two functional catalytic domains, a serine/threonine-protein kinase domain and an endoribonuclease domain. This protein functions as a sensor of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and triggers an intracellular signaling pathway termed the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR is an ER stress response that is conserved from yeast to mammals and activates genes involved in degrading misfolded proteins, regulating protein synthesis and activating molecular chaperones. This protein specifically mediates the splicing and activation of the stress response transcription factor X-box binding protein 1. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2017]

Serine/threonine-protein kinase and endoribonuclease that acts as a key sensor for the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (UPR) (PubMed:11779464, PubMed:11175748, PubMed:12637535, PubMed:9637683, PubMed:21317875). In unstressed cells, the endoplasmic reticulum luminal domain is maintained in its inactive monomeric state by binding to the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone HSPA5/BiP (PubMed:21317875). Accumulation of misfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum causes release of HSPA5/BiP, allowing the luminal domain to homodimerize, promoting autophosphorylation of the kinase domain and subsequent activation of the endoribonuclease activity (PubMed:21317875). The endoribonuclease activity is specific for XBP1 mRNA and excises 26 nucleotides from XBP1 mRNA (PubMed:11779464, PubMed:24508390, PubMed:21317875). The resulting spliced transcript of XBP1 encodes a transcriptional activator protein that up-regulates expression of UPR target genes (PubMed:11779464, PubMed:24508390, PubMed:21317875).