EEF2K and lung cancer: Intriguingly, eEF2K-depleted cells with deprived glucose (Fig. 1d) or serum (Fig. 1e) initially proliferated faster than their eEF2K-undepleted cells and then underwent more growth inhibition at the time of nutrient consumption, suggesting that eEF2K inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation other than mediating cytoprotection under condition of nutrient deprivation in A549 cells.