The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) TRS1 and IRS1 genes block the phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2␣) and the consequent shutoff of cellular protein synthesis that occur during infection with vaccinia virus (VV) deleted of the double-stranded RNA binding protein gene E3L (VV⌬E3L). To further define the underlying mechanism, we first evaluated the effect of pTRS1 on protein kinase R (PKR), the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent eIF2␣ kinase. Immunoblot analyses revealed that pTRS1 expression in the context of a VV⌬E3L recombinant decreased levels of PKR in the cytoplasm and increased its levels in the nucleus of infected cells, an effect not seen with wild-type VV or a VV⌬E3L recombinant virus expressing E3L. This effect of pTRS1 was confirmed by visualizing the nuclear relocalization of PKR-EGFP expressed by transient transfection. PKR present in both the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions was nonphosphorylated, indicating that it was unactivated when TRS1 was present. PKR also accumulated in the nucleus during HCMV infection as determined by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoblot analysis. Binding assays revealed that pTRS1 interacted with PKR in mammalian cells and in vitro. This interaction required the same carboxy-terminal region of pTRS1 that is necessary to rescue VV⌬E3L replication in HeLa cells. The carboxy terminus of pIRS1 was also required for rescue of VV⌬E3L and for mediating an interaction of pIRS1 with PKR. These results suggest that these HCMV genes directly interact with PKR and inhibit its activation by sequestering it in the nucleus, away from both its activator, cytoplasmic dsRNA, and its substrate, eIF2␣.Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) activates the host cell response to viral infection in numerous ways, one of which involves the interferon-induced, dsRNA-dependent protein kinase R (PKR) (reviewed in reference 43). After binding to dsRNA, PKR dimerizes, autophosphorylates, and then phosphorylates the eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) on its ␣ subunit. Phosphorylated eIF2␣ sequesters the guanine nucleotide exchange factor eIF2B, resulting in the inhibition of protein synthesis at the level of translation initiation. Since viruses depend on the cellular translational machinery, the shutoff of host cell protein synthesis inhibits viral replication and spread.Many viruses have mechanisms for inhibiting the PKR-mediated phosphorylation of eIF2␣ (56). The vaccinia virus (VV) E3L protein prevents the activation of PKR by binding to and sequestering dsRNA via a carboxy-terminal double-stranded RNA binding domain (dsRBD) (39). VV from which the E3L gene has been deleted (VV⌬E3L) exhibits a dsRNA-dependent restriction of host cell range, and this phenotype can be reversed by expression of the dsRBD from pE3L or dsRNAbinding proteins from other viruses (4, 47, 62). We previously found that the products of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genes TRS1 and IRS1 restore the host cell range of VV⌬E3L, inhibit the phosphorylation of eIF2␣, and prevent the shutoff...