Translational regulator that ensures constant high levels of translation upon a variety of stress conditions, such as amino acid starvation, UV-C irradiation, proteasome inhibitor treatment and glucose deprivation. Plays a role as a negative regulator of the EIF2AK4/GCN2 kinase activity; impairs GCN1-mediated EIF2AK4/GCN2 activation, and hence EIF2AK4/GCN2-mediated eIF-2-alpha phosphorylation and subsequent down-regulation of protein synthesis. May be required to regulate translation in specific neuronal cells under amino acid starvation conditions by preventing GCN2 activation and therefore ATF4 synthesis. Through its inhibitory action on EIF2AK4/GCN2, plays a role in differentiation of neuronal cells by stimulating neurite outgrowth.
