eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2A (eIF-2A, 65 kD eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2A, EIF2A)

Function

• functions in the early steps of protein synthesis of a mall number of specific mRNAs
• acts by directing the binding of methionyl-tRNAi to 40S ribosomal subunits
• in contrast to the eIF-2 complex, it binds methionyl-tRNAi to 40S subunits (codon-dependent manner vs GTP-dependent for eIF-2 complex)

Structure

• belongs to the WD repeat EIF2A family
• contains 3 WD repeats

Alternative splicing

named isoforms=2

Expression

• widely expressed
• expressed at higher level in pancreas, heart, brain & placenta initially thought to constitute the ortholog of prokaryotic IF-2 (infB) protein

More general terms

• initiation factor
• WD repeat protein family
• phosphoprotein

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9BY44.html