Regulates phosphorylation of a number of proteins involved in translation regulation including EIF2A, EIF4EBP1 and RPS6KB1. May be involved in the endoplasmic reticulum stress response (By similarity). Detected in brain, lung, spleen and skeletal muscle. Expressed in small renal tumors but not in normal kidney. 'Niban' means 'second' in Japanese. Belongs to the Niban family. Truncated N-terminus.