GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:3261

EIF2B5

eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B subunit epsilon

protein-coding gene3q27.1Gene information

What does this gene do?

The EIF2B5 gene provides instructions for making one of five parts of a protein called eIF2B, specifically the epsilon subunit of this protein. The eIF2B protein helps regulate overall protein production (synthesis) in the cell by interacting with another protein, eIF2. The eIF2 protein is called an initiation factor because it is involved in starting (initiating) protein synthesis.

Under some conditions, eIF2B increases protein synthesis by helping to recycle molecules called GTP, which carry energy to the initiation factor. Under other conditions, it slows protein synthesis by binding tightly to the initiation factor, which converts the eIF2B protein into an inactive form and prevents recycling of GTP.

Proper regulation of protein synthesis is vital for ensuring that the correct levels of protein are available for the cell to cope with changing conditions. For example, cells must synthesize protein much faster if they are multiplying than if they are in a resting state.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2007-10.

ClinGen reviews

ClinGen reviews the evidence linking a particular gene to a condition. Each rating below describes the strength of that link. It does not classify a variant in your DNA file.

Condition	Inheritance	Evidence
leukoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter 5MONDO:0957873 · Evaluated 2024-12-11	Autosomal recessive	DefinitiveLeukodystrophy and Leukoencephalopathy Gene Curation Expert Panel

ClinVar records

These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.

Submitted alleles: 925
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 1,324
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 1,260
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 121
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 252
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 34

The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.

NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗

View this gene in ClinVar ↗

YOUR DNA FILE

Can your DNA file tell you about EIF2B5?

From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 121 alleles in EIF2B5 reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.

From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.

If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.

What BioDecode checks

BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.

A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in EIF2B5.

BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.

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