Enables poly(U) RNA binding activity and translation repressor activity. Involved in stress granule assembly. Acts upstream of or within cellular response to cold, negative regulation of cell growth, and regulation of cell cycle G1/S phase transition. Located in cytoplasmic stress granule and nucleoplasm. Is expressed in several structures, including brain and retina. Orthologous to human CIRBP (cold inducible RNA binding protein). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]