Regulation of mRNA translation is a major control point for gene expression and is critical for life. Of central importance is the complex between cap-bound eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), eIF4G, and poly(A) tail-binding protein (PABP) that circularizes mRNAs, promoting translation and stability. This complex is often targeted to regulate overall translation rates, and also by mRNA-specific translational repressors. However, the mechanisms of mRNA-specific translational activation by RNA-binding proteins remain poorly understood. Here, we address this deficit, focusing on a herpes simplex virus-1 protein, ICP27. We reveal a direct interaction with PABP that is sufficient to promote PABP recruitment and necessary for ICP27-mediated activation. PABP binds several translation factors but is primarily considered to activate translation initiation as part of the PABP-eIF4G-eIF4E complex that stimulates the initial cap-binding step. Importantly, we find that ICP27-PABP forms a complex with, and requires the activity of, eIF4G. Surprisingly, ICP27-PABP-eIF4G complexes act independently of the effects of PABP-eIF4G on cap binding to promote small ribosomal subunit recruitment. Moreover, we find that a cellular mRNA-specific regulator, Deleted in Azoospermia-like (Dazl), also employs the PABP-eIF4G interaction in a similar manner. We propose a mechanism whereby diverse RNA-binding proteins directly recruit PABP, in a non-poly(A) tail-dependent manner, to stimulate the small subunit recruitment step. This strategy may be particularly relevant to biological conditions associated with hypoadenylated mRNAs (e.g., germ cells/neurons) and/or limiting cytoplasmic PABP (e.g., viral infection, cell stress). This mechanism adds significant insight into our knowledge of mRNA-specific translational activation and the function of the PABP-eIF4G complex in translation initiation.D espite the importance of translational control, the mechanisms by which specific subsets of mRNAs are translationally regulated are only well defined in a handful of cases. Nevertheless, it is clear that regulation is most often mediated by factors recruited to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of mRNAs and frequently occurs at the level of initiation (1). Initiation is a multistep process involving several mRNA-dependent steps, each of which requires eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) (2). Initially, the m 7 GpppX cap is bound by eIF4F, comprising a large scaffold protein, eIF4G, bound to the cap-binding protein, eIF4E, and an RNA helicase, eIF4A. The small (40S) ribosomal subunit, initiator tRNA, and associated initiation factors are then recruited as a 43S preinitiation complex. Recruitment is facilitated by eIF4A-dependent removal of RNA secondary structure and by the interaction of 40S-associated eIF3 with eIF4G. The 43S small ribosomal subunit complex then scans the 5′ UTR to locate a start codon, recognition of which promotes release of initiation factors and joining of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit to form an 80S ribosome. Like the cap,...