# EIF4A2

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/eif4a2/  
OnCo record `eif4a2` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

EIF4A2 (Eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-II) is a gene whose normal job is to hold cell growth in check. The public catalogues list it as a tumour suppressor, and it is called a cancer driver by mutation analysis of patient cohorts. Tied to Breast cancer.

## Summary

ATP-dependent RNA helicase which is a subunit of the eIF4F complex involved in cap recognition and is required for mRNA binding to ribosome. In the current model of translation initiation, eIF4A unwinds RNA secondary structures in the 5'-UTR of mRNAs which is necessary to allow efficient binding of the small ribosomal subunit, and subsequent scanning for the initiator codon.

IntOGen calls it a driver in 1 cohort (0 activating, 1 loss-of-function), covering Invasive Breast Carcinoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A2; Eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-II; DDX2B; EIF4A; BM-010; EIF4F
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: EIF4A2
- Class: tumor-suppressor
- Biology: ATP-dependent RNA helicase which is a subunit of the eIF4F complex involved in cap recognition and is required for mRNA binding to ribosome. In the current model of translation initiation, eIF4A unwinds RNA secondary structures in the 5'-UTR of mRNAs which is necessary to allow efficient binding of the small ribosomal subunit, and subsequent scanning for the initiator codon. Locus 3q27.3 (HGNC).
- Where found: Breast cancer: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (BRCA)

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: IntOGen calls it a loss-of-function (LoF) driver in 1 cohort. Evidence tier "cohort-driver" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:3284: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:3284
- UniProt Q14240: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q14240/entry
- NCBI Gene 1974: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1974
- Ensembl ENSG00000156976: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000156976

## Connected records

- collections: [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/)
- cancers: [Breast cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-cancer/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/eif4a2.json