FB2026_01 , released March 12, 2026
FB2026_01 , released March 12, 2026
Gene: Dmel\eIF4E3
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General Information
Symbol
Dmel\eIF4E3
Species
D. melanogaster
Name
eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E3
Annotation Symbol
CG8023
Feature Type
protein_coding_gene
FlyBase ID
FBgn0265089
Gene Model Status
Current
Stock Availability
9 publicly available
Gene Summary
eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E3 (eIF4E3) encodes a protein that binds the 7-methyl-guanosine cap structure of mRNA. It is a component of the eIF4F cap-binding complex that is essential for cap-dependent translation of mRNA. eIF4E3 is primarily expressed in testes and is required for male fertility, but not for viability. [Date last reviewed: 2019-03-07] (FlyBase Gene Snapshot)
All Summaries
Also Known As

eIF4E-3, eIF4E, l(3)L0139

Key Links
Genomic Location
Cytogenetic map
66C1-66C1
Sequence location
Recombination map
3-24
RefSeq locus
NT_037436 REGION:8229224..8230568
Sequence
Get Decorated FASTA
Genomic Maps
Other Genome Views
The following external sites may use different assemblies or annotations than FlyBase.
NCBI
UCSC
Ensembl
PopFly
Function
Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations (12 terms)
Molecular Function (7 terms)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (3 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
enables eukaryotic initiation factor 4G binding
inferred from physical interaction with FLYBASE:eIF4G1; FB:FBgn0023213
(Hernandez et al., 2005)
enables protein binding
inferred from physical interaction with FLYBASE:Thor; FB:FBgn0261560
(Hernandez et al., 2005)
enables RNA 7-methylguanosine cap binding
inferred from direct assay
(Hernandez et al., 2012, Hernandez et al., 2005)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (5 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
enables RNA 7-methylguanosine cap binding
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN000238660
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
enables RNA binding
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR001040, InterPro:IPR019770
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
enables RNA cap binding
inferred from sequence or structural similarity
(Lasko, 2000)
contributes_to translation initiation factor activity
inferred by curator from GO:0016281
(Hernandez et al., 2005)
enables translation initiation factor activity
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR001040, InterPro:IPR019770
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
inferred from sequence or structural similarity
(Lasko, 2000)
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN000238660
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
enables translation initiation factor binding
inferred from sequence or structural similarity with UniProtKB:P06730
(Gene Ontology Curators, 2002-)
Biological Process (3 terms)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (2 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
involved_in positive regulation of translation
inferred from mutant phenotype
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
involved_in spermatogenesis
inferred from mutant phenotype
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (1 term)
CV Term
Evidence
References
involved_in translational initiation
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR001040, InterPro:IPR019770
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN000238660
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
Cellular Component (2 terms)
Terms Based on Experimental Evidence (2 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
located_in cytoplasm
inferred from direct assay
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
part_of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F complex
inferred from physical interaction with FLYBASE:eIF4G1; FB:FBgn0023213
(Hernandez et al., 2005)
Terms Based on Predictions or Assertions (2 terms)
CV Term
Evidence
References
located_in cytoplasm
inferred from electronic annotation with InterPro:IPR019770
(InterPro Project Members, 2004-)
part_of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F complex
inferred from biological aspect of ancestor with PANTHER:PTN000238660
(GO Reference Genome Project, 2011-)
inferred from sequence or structural similarity
(Lasko, 2000)
Gene Group (FlyBase)
Protein Family (UniProt)
-
Protein Signatures (InterPro)
Summaries
Gene Snapshot
eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E3 (eIF4E3) encodes a protein that binds the 7-methyl-guanosine cap structure of mRNA. It is a component of the eIF4F cap-binding complex that is essential for cap-dependent translation of mRNA. eIF4E3 is primarily expressed in testes and is required for male fertility, but not for viability. [Date last reviewed: 2019-03-07]
Gene Group (FlyBase)
CYTOPLASMIC TRANSLATION INITIATION FACTORS -
Cytoplasmic (or eukaryotic) translation initiation factors function in the initiation stage of ribosome-mediated translation in the cytoplasm. (Adapted from FBrf0233552 and PMID:20094052).
Gene Model and Products
Number of Transcripts
1
Number of Unique Polypeptides
1

Please see the JBrowse view of Dmel\eIF4E3 for information on other features

To submit a correction to a gene model please use the Contact FlyBase form

Protein Domains (via Pfam)
Isoform displayed:
Pfam protein domains
InterPro name
classification
start
end
Protein Domains (via SMART)
Isoform displayed:
SMART protein domains
InterPro name
classification
start
end
Structure
Protein 3D structure   (Predicted by AlphaFold)   (AlphaFold entry Q9VSG1)

If you don't see a structure in the viewer, refresh your browser.
Model Confidence:
  • Very high (pLDDT > 90)
  • Confident (90 > pLDDT > 70)
  • Low (70 > pLDDT > 50)
  • Very low (pLDDT < 50)

AlphaFold produces a per-residue confidence score (pLDDT) between 0 and 100. Some regions with low pLDDT may be unstructured in isolation.

Experimentally Determined Structures
Crossreferences
Comments on Gene Model

Gene model reviewed during 5.46

Transcript Data
Annotated Transcripts
Name
FlyBase ID
RefSeq ID
Length (nt)
Assoc. CDS (aa)
eIF4E3-RA
FBtr0076701
NM_139937
1040
244
Additional Transcript Data and Comments
Reported size (kB)
Comments
External Data
Crossreferences
Polypeptide Data
Annotated Polypeptides
Name
FlyBase ID
Predicted MW (kDa)
Length (aa)
Theoretical pI
UniProt
RefSeq ID
GenBank
eIF4E3-PA
FBpp0076424
28.5
244
5.33
Q9VSG1
NP_648194
AAF50460
Polypeptides with Identical Sequences

There is only one protein coding transcript and one polypeptide associated with this gene

Additional Polypeptide Data and Comments
Reported size (kDa)
Comments
External Data
Crossreferences
InterPro - A database of protein families, domains and functional sites
Linkouts
Sequences Consistent with the Gene Model
Mapped Features

Click to get a list of regulatory features (enhancers, TFBS, etc.) and gene disruptions (point mutations, indels, etc.) within or overlapping Dmel\eIF4E3 using the Feature Mapper tool.

External Data
Crossreferences
Eukaryotic Promoter Database - A collection of databases of experimentally validated promoters for selected model organisms.
Linkouts
Expression Data
Testis-specificity index

The testis specificity index was calculated from modENCODE tissue expression data by Vedelek et al., 2018 to indicate the degree of testis enrichment compared to other tissues. Scores range from -2.52 (underrepresented) to 5.2 (very high testis bias).

4.96

Transcript Expression
in situ
Stage
Tissue/Position (including subcellular localization)
Reference
spermatogenesis & adult stage | male
spermatocyte
(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)
Additional Descriptive Data

In the testis, eIF4E3 transcript accumulates exclusively in germ cells.

(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)
Marker for
 
Subcellular Localization
CV Term
Polypeptide Expression
immunolocalization
Stage
Tissue/Position (including subcellular localization)
Reference
adult stage | male
spermatocyte
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
onion stage spermatid
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
adult stage | male & spermatogenesis
primary spermatocyte
(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)
secondary spermatocyte
(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)
spermatid
(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)
western blot
Stage
Tissue/Position (including subcellular localization)
Reference
first instar larval stage
organism
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
pupal stage
organism | intense
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
adult stage | male
testis | intense
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
Additional Descriptive Data

eIF4E3 protein is first detected in primary spermatocytes, and is abundantly expressed in the growth phase of the mature spermatocytes, persisting through the meiotic elongating spermatid stages. eIF4E3 protein is undetectable at the apical tip of the testis or in spermatogonia, and is not expressed in somatic cells.

(Ghosh and Lasko, 2015)

eIF4E-3 protein is resticted to testis.

(Hernandez et al., 2012)
Marker for
 
Subcellular Localization
CV Term
Evidence
References
located_in cytoplasm
inferred from direct assay
(Hernandez et al., 2012)
part_of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4F complex
inferred from physical interaction with FLYBASE:eIF4G1; FB:FBgn0023213
(Hernandez et al., 2005)
Expression Deduced from Reporters
High-Throughput Expression Data
Associated Tools

JBrowse - Visual display of RNA-Seq signals

View Dmel\eIF4E3 in JBrowse
RNA-Seq by Region - Search RNA-Seq expression levels by exon or genomic region
Bulk Downloads
RNA-Seq RPKM values for all genes
Reference
See Gelbart and Emmert, 2013 for analysis details and data files for all genes.
Developmental Proteome: Life Cycle
Developmental Proteome: Embryogenesis
External Data and Images
Linkouts
BDGP expression data - Patterns of gene expression in Drosophila embryogenesis
DRscDB - A single-cell RNA-seq resource for data mining and data comparison across species
EMBL-EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas - Single cell expression across species
FlyAtlas - Adult expression by tissue, using Affymetrix Dros2 array
FlyAtlas2 - A Drosophila melanogaster expression atlas with RNA-Seq, miRNA-Seq and sex-specific data
Fly-FISH - A database of Drosophila embryo and larvae mRNA localization patterns
Images
FlyBase Wiki
Image Based Resources
Alleles, Insertions, Transgenic Constructs, and Aberrations
Classical and Insertion Alleles ( 2 )
For All Classical and Insertion Alleles Show
 
Other relevant insertions
Transgenic Constructs ( 5 )
For All Alleles Carried on Transgenic Constructs Show
Transgenic constructs containing/affecting coding region of eIF4E3
Transgenic constructs containing regulatory region of eIF4E3
Aberrations (Deficiencies and Duplications) ( 7 )
Variants
Variant Molecular Consequences
Alleles Representing Disease-Implicated Variants
Phenotypes
Orthologs
Downloads
Download All DIOPT Orthologs
Human Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Species\Gene Symbol
Score
Best Score
Best Reverse Score
Source
Compara
Domainoid
eggNOG
Hieranoid
Homologene
Inparanoid
OMA
OrthoDB
OrthoFinder
OrthoInspector
orthoMCL
Panther
Phylome
SonicParanoid
Alignment
Complementation?
Transgene?
Homo sapiens (Human) (4)
Hsap\EIF4E
14 of 14
Yes
Yes
Hsap\EIF4E1B
13 of 14
No
Yes
Hsap\EIF4E2
5 of 14
No
No
1  
Hsap\EIF4E3
4 of 14
No
Yes
Model Organism Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Species\Gene Symbol
Score
Best Score
Best Reverse Score
Source
Compara
Domainoid
eggNOG
Hieranoid
Homologene
Inparanoid
OMA
OrthoDB
OrthoFinder
OrthoInspector
orthoMCL
Panther
Phylome
SonicParanoid
Alignment
Complementation?
Transgene?
Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat) (4)
Rnor\Eif4e
13 of 14
Yes
Yes
Rnor\Eif4e2
4 of 14
No
No
Rnor\Eif4e3
4 of 14
No
Yes
Rnor\Eif4e1b
1 of 14
No
Yes
Mus musculus (laboratory mouse) (4)
Mmus\Eif4e
14 of 14
Yes
Yes
Mmus\Eif4e1b
13 of 14
No
Yes
Mmus\Eif4e2
4 of 14
No
No
Mmus\Eif4e3
4 of 14
No
Yes
Xenopus tropicalis (Western clawed frog) (8)
Xtro\eif4e
11 of 13
Yes
Yes
Xtro\eif4e1b
10 of 13
No
Yes
Xtro\eif4e3
2 of 13
No
Yes
Xtro\eif4e2
1 of 13
No
No
Xtro\ganc
1 of 13
No
No
Xtro\kirrel2
1 of 13
No
No
Xtro\mark2
1 of 13
No
No
Xtro\MGC89871
1 of 13
No
No
Danio rerio (Zebrafish) (7)
Drer\eif4ea
14 of 14
Yes
Yes
Drer\eif4eb
14 of 14
Yes
Yes
Drer\eif4e1b
13 of 14
No
Yes
Drer\eif4e1c
13 of 14
No
Yes
Drer\eif4e2
5 of 14
No
No
Drer\eif4e2rs1
4 of 14
No
No
Drer\eif4e3
4 of 14
No
Yes
Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematode, roundworm) (5)
Cele\ife-3
13 of 14
Yes
Yes
Cele\ife-5
8 of 14
No
Yes
Cele\ife-1
7 of 14
No
Yes
Cele\ife-2
7 of 14
No
Yes
Cele\ife-4
4 of 14
No
No
Anopheles gambiae (African malaria mosquito) (2)
Agam\AgaP_AGAP007172
7 of 12
Yes
No
Agam\AgaP_AGAP002948
4 of 12
No
No
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale-cress) (5)
Atha\EIF4E
13 of 13
Yes
Yes
Atha\AT1G29550
12 of 13
No
Yes
Atha\eIF4E3
12 of 13
No
Yes
Atha\LSP1
12 of 13
No
Yes
Atha\NCBP
4 of 13
No
No
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Brewer's yeast) (1)
Scer\CDC33
12 of 13
Yes
Yes
Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Fission yeast) (2)
Spom\tif45
11 of 12
Yes
Yes
Spom\tif452
11 of 12
Yes
Yes
Escherichia coli (enterobacterium) (0)
Other Organism Orthologs (via OrthoDB)
Data provided directly from OrthoDB:eIF4E3. Refer to their site for version information.
Paralogs
Downloads
Download All DIOPT Paralogs
Paralogs (via DIOPT v9.1)
Gene Symbol
Score
Source
Compara
Domainoid
eggNOG
Homologene
Inparanoid
OMA
OrthoDB
OrthoFinder
OrthoInspector
orthoMCL
Panther
Phylome
SonicParanoid
Alignment
Drosophila melanogaster (Fruit fly) (6)
eIF4E1
12 of 13
eIF4E4
12 of 13
eIF4E5
12 of 13
eIF4E7
11 of 13
eIF4E6
10 of 13
eIF4EHP
5 of 13
Human Disease Associations
FlyBase Human Disease Model Reports
    Disease Ontology (DO) Annotations
    Models Based on Experimental Evidence ( 0 )
    Allele
    Disease
    Evidence
    References
    Potential Models Based on Orthology ( 0 )
    Human Ortholog
    Disease
    Evidence
    References
    Modifiers Based on Experimental Evidence ( 0 )
    Allele
    Disease
    Interaction
    References
    Disease Associations of Human Orthologs (via DIOPT v9.1 and OMIM)
    Note that ortholog calls supported by only 1 or 2 algorithms (DIOPT score < 3) are not shown.
    Homo sapiens (Human)
    Gene name
    Score
    OMIM
    OMIM Phenotype
    DO term
    Complementation?
    Transgene?
    EIF4E; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E
    14 of 14
    133440
      EIF4E1B; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E family member 1B
      13 of 14
          EIF4E2; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E family member 2
          5 of 14
          605895
               
              EIF4E3; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E family member 3
              4 of 14
              609896
                  Functional Complementation Data
                  Functional complementation data is computed by FlyBase using a combination of the orthology data obtained from DIOPT and OrthoDB and the allele-level genetic interaction data curated from the literature.
                  Interactions
                  Summary of Physical Interactions
                  Summary of Genetic Interactions
                  Interaction Browsers
                  Starting gene(s)
                  Interaction type
                  Interacting gene(s)
                  Reference
                  Starting gene(s)
                  Interaction type
                  Interacting gene(s)
                  Reference
                  External Data
                  Linkouts
                  DroID - A comprehensive database of gene and protein interactions.
                  MIST (protein-protein) - An integrated Molecular Interaction Database
                  Pathways
                  Class of Gene
                  Genomic Location and Detailed Mapping Data
                  Chromosome (arm)
                  3L
                  Recombination map
                  3-24
                  Cytogenetic map
                  66C1-66C1
                  Sequence location
                  FlyBase Computed Cytological Location
                  Cytogenetic map
                  Evidence for location
                  66C1-66C1
                  Left limit from in situ hybridisation (FBrf0067338) Right limit from in situ hybridisation (FBrf0067338); Limits computationally determined from genome sequence between P{lacW}Nmtj1C7 and P{lacW}l(3)L0139L0139
                  Experimentally Determined Cytological Location
                  Cytogenetic map
                  Notes
                  References
                  66C1-66C2
                  (determined by in situ hybridisation)
                  (Spradling et al., 1999)
                  66C1-66C2
                  (BDGP Project Members, 1994-1999)
                  Experimentally Determined Recombination Data
                  Location

                  3-24

                  (FlyBase, 2016)

                  3-19.2

                  (Comeron et al., 2012)
                  Left of (cM)
                  Right of (cM)
                  Notes
                  Stocks and Reagents
                  Stocks (9)
                  Genomic Clones (20)
                  cDNA Clones (25)
                   

                  Please Note This section lists cDNAs and ESTs that fall within the genomic extent of the gene model, which may include cDNAs and ESTs of genes within introns, or of overlapping genes. Please see JBrowse for alignment of the cDNAs and ESTs to the gene model.

                  cDNA clones, fully sequenced
                  BDGP DGC clones
                  Other clones
                  Drosophila Genomics Resource Center cDNA clones

                  For each fully sequenced cDNA the DGRC maintains various forms of the cDNA (e.g tagged or untagged) in several different host vectors for subsequent cloning and expression in Drosophila and Drosophila cell lines.

                  cDNA Clones, End Sequenced (ESTs)
                  BDGP DGC clones
                  Other clones
                  RNAi and Array Information
                  Linkouts
                  Antibody Information
                  Laboratory Generated Antibodies
                   

                  polyclonal

                  (Hernandez et al., 2012)
                  Commercially Available Antibodies
                   
                  Cell Line Information
                  Publicly Available Cell Lines
                   
                    Other Stable Cell Lines
                     
                      Other Comments
                      Relationship to Other Genes
                      Source for database merge of

                      Source for merge of: CG8023 anon-WO0140519.227

                      (FlyBase, 1996-)

                      Source for merge of: eIF4E-3 l(3)L0139

                      (Hernandez et al., 2012)
                      Additional comments

                      Source for merge of CG8023 anon-WO0140519.227 was sequence comparison ( date:051113 ).

                      (FlyBase, 1996-)
                      Nomenclature History
                      Source for database identify of

                      Source for identity of: eIF4E-3 CG8023

                      (Hernandez et al., 2005)

                      Source for identity of: eIF4E3 eIF4E-3

                      (Marygold et al., 2017)
                      Nomenclature comments
                      Etymology
                      Synonyms and Secondary IDs (13)
                      Datasets (0)
                      Study focus (0)
                      Experimental Role
                      Project
                      Project Type
                      Title
                      Study result (0)
                      Result
                      Result Type
                      Title
                      External Crossreferences and Linkouts ( 43 )
                      Sequence Crossreferences
                      NCBI Gene - Gene integrates information from a wide range of species. A record may include nomenclature, Reference Sequences (RefSeqs), maps, pathways, variations, phenotypes, and links to genome-, phenotype-, and locus-specific resources worldwide.
                      GenBank Nucleotide - A collection of sequences from several sources, including GenBank, RefSeq, TPA, and PDB.
                      GenBank Protein - A collection of sequences from several sources, including translations from annotated coding regions in GenBank, RefSeq and TPA, as well as records from SwissProt, PIR, PRF, and PDB.
                      RefSeq - A comprehensive, integrated, non-redundant, well-annotated set of reference sequences including genomic, transcript, and protein.
                      UniProt/GCRP - The gene-centric reference proteome (GCRP) provides a 1:1 mapping between genes and UniProt accessions in which a single 'canonical' isoform represents the product(s) of each protein-coding gene.
                      UniProt/TrEMBL - Automatically annotated and unreviewed records of protein sequence and functional information
                      Other crossreferences
                      AlphaFold DB - AlphaFold provides open access to protein structure predictions for the human proteome and other key proteins of interest, to accelerate scientific research.
                      BDGP expression data - Patterns of gene expression in Drosophila embryogenesis
                      DRscDB - A single-cell RNA-seq resource for data mining and data comparison across species
                      EMBL-EBI Single Cell Expression Atlas - Single cell expression across species
                      FlyAtlas2 - A Drosophila melanogaster expression atlas with RNA-Seq, miRNA-Seq and sex-specific data
                      InterPro - A database of protein families, domains and functional sites
                      KEGG Genes - Molecular building blocks of life in the genomic space.
                      MARRVEL_MODEL - MARRVEL (model organism gene)
                      Linkouts
                      Drosophila Genomics Resource Center - Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC) cDNA clones
                      DroID - A comprehensive database of gene and protein interactions.
                      Eukaryotic Promoter Database - A collection of databases of experimentally validated promoters for selected model organisms.
                      FlyAtlas - Adult expression by tissue, using Affymetrix Dros2 array
                      FlyCyc Genes - Genes from a BioCyc PGDB for Dmel
                      Fly-FISH - A database of Drosophila embryo and larvae mRNA localization patterns
                      iBeetle-Base - RNAi phenotypes in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
                      KEGG Pathways - A collection of manually drawn pathway maps representing knowledge of molecular interaction, reaction and relation networks.
                      MIST (protein-protein) - An integrated Molecular Interaction Database
                      Reactome - An open-source, open access, manually curated and peer-reviewed pathway database.
                      References (63)