The Mirmira Lab recently published a new manuscript in Journal of Clinical Investigation entitled “Inhibition of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2-α kinase PERK decreases risk of autoimmune diabetes in mice.” Led by postdoctoral fellow Charanya Muralidharan, PhD, the study demonstrates a role for the ER stress-activated kinase PERK in promoting beta cell immunogenicity. With PERK inhibition, mice had reduced insulitis and delayed onset of autoimmune diabetes. The mechanism of this protective effect involves enhanced expression of beta cell PD-L1, an immune checkpoint protein, through stabilization by GOLM1.