Eukaryotic messenger RNAs contain a modified guanosine, termed a cap, at their 5′ ends.
Translation of mRNAs requires the binding of an initiation factor, eIF4E, to the cap structure.
Here, we describe a family of proteins that through a shared sequence regulate cap-
dependent translation. The biological importance of this translational regulation is immense,
and affects such processes as cell growth, development, oncogenic transformation and
perhaps even axon pathfinding and memory consolidation.