EIF2A and viral infectious disease: In response to diverse cellular stressors including starvation, ER stress, and viral infection, the activated kinase phosphorylates the translation initiation factor eIF2α, resulting in a reduction in the rate of general protein synthesis and preferential translation of mRNAs harboring upstream open reading frames, or uORFs, such as the transcription factors ATF4, CHOP, and ATF5.