Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4E1 (EIF4E1)

All eukaryotic cellular mRNAs are blocked at their 5-prime ends with the 7-methyl-guanosine cap structure, m7GpppX. This structure is involved in several cellular processes including enhanced translational efficiency, splicing, mRNA stability, and RNA nuclear export. EIF4E is a eukaryotic translation initiation factor involved in directing ribosomes to the cap structure of mRNAs. It is a 24-kD polypeptide that exists as both a free form and as part of a multiprotein complex termed EIF4F. The EIF4E polypeptide is the rate-limiting component of the eukaryotic translation apparatus and is involved in the mRNA-ribosome binding step of eukaryotic protein synthesis. The other subunits of EIF4F are a 50-kD polypeptide, termed EIF4A, that possesses ATPase and RNA helicase activities, and a 220-kD polypeptide, EIF4G.