In unstressed conditions, the cap-binding protein, eIF4E, binds the 5' cap structure (m7G) on mRNA and recruits other translation initiation factors to bring the ribosome to the mRNA. Bruns et al. show that, in plants, phosphorylation of eIF4E by the master metabolic regulatory protein, sucrose nonfermenting-related kinase 1 (SnRK1), reduces translation globally. This negative regulation of translation inhibits geminivirus infection and is speculated to be a response to various abiotic stresses.