Among the four eIF2α kinases, protein kinase R (PKR) is activated by viral dsRNA sensing in the cytoplasm, however the other kinases: heme regulated eIF2α kinase (HRI), general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) and PKR-like ER localised kinase (PERK) can also be activated by infection cues such as oxidative stress, amino acid starvation and ER stress, respectively. This evidence concerns the gene EIF2AK4 and infection.