Niban-like proteins contain an N-terminal Pleckstrin-Homology (PH) domain that may be involved in binding to specific ligands. Phosphatidylinositol (3)-phosphate (PI3P) was recognized as the innate ligand of the PH domain of MINERVA (melanoma invasion by ERK, also known as FAM129B) PH. Niban family proteins have been found to regulate phosphorylation of a number of proteins involved in the regularion of translation, such as EIF2A, EIF4EBP1 and RPS6KB1. They may also be involved in the endoplasmic reticulum stress response (FAM129A, Niban-like protein 1), suggested to play a role in apoptosis suppression in cancer cells, while Niban-like protein 2 (FAM129C) is a B-cell membrane protein that is overexpressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",