PIWI-interacting RNAs: small RNAs with big functions

DM Ozata, I Gainetdinov, A Zoch, D O'Carroll… - Nature Reviews …, 2019 - nature.com
In animals, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of 21–35 nucleotides in length silence
transposable elements, regulate gene expression and fight viral infection. piRNAs guide …

piRNA-guided genome defense: from biogenesis to silencing

B Czech, M Munafò, F Ciabrelli… - Annual review of …, 2018 - annualreviews.org
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and their associated PIWI clade Argonaute proteins
constitute the core of the piRNA pathway. In gonadal cells, this conserved pathway is crucial …

Restricting retrotransposons: a review

JL Goodier - Mobile DNA, 2016 - Springer
Retrotransposons have generated about 40% of the human genome. This review examines
the strategies the cell has evolved to coexist with these genomic “parasites”, focussing on …

PIWI-interacting RNA: its biogenesis and functions

YW Iwasaki, MC Siomi, H Siomi - Annual review of biochemistry, 2015 - annualreviews.org
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small RNAs that are 24–31 nucleotides in
length. They associate with PIWI proteins, which constitute a germline-specific subclade of …

Argonaute proteins: functional insights and emerging roles

G Meister - Nature Reviews Genetics, 2013 - nature.com
Small-RNA-guided gene regulation has emerged as one of the fundamental principles in
cell function, and the major protein players in this process are members of the Argonaute …

RISC assembly: Coordination between small RNAs and Argonaute proteins

H Kobayashi, Y Tomari - Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Gene …, 2016 - Elsevier
Non-coding RNAs generally form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes with their partner
proteins to exert their functions. Small RNAs, including microRNAs, small interfering RNAs …

PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting RNAs in the soma

RJ Ross, MM Weiner, H Lin - Nature, 2014 - nature.com
The discovery of millions of PIWI-interacting RNAs revealed a fascinating and unanticipated
dimension of biology. The PIWI–piRNA pathway has been commonly perceived as germline …

PIWI-interacting RNAs: from generation to transgenerational epigenetics

MJ Luteijn, RF Ketting - Nature Reviews Genetics, 2013 - nature.com
Small-RNA-guided gene regulation is a recurring theme in biology. Animal germ cells are
characterized by an intriguing small-RNA-mediated gene-silencing mechanism known as …

Inherited defects of piRNA biogenesis cause transposon de-repression, impaired spermatogenesis, and human male infertility

B Stallmeyer, C Bühlmann, R Stakaitis… - Nature …, 2024 - nature.com
Abstract piRNAs are crucial for transposon silencing, germ cell maturation, and fertility in
male mice. Here, we report on the genetic landscape of piRNA dysfunction in humans and …

RNA clamping by Vasa assembles a piRNA amplifier complex on transposon transcripts

J Xiol, P Spinelli, MA Laussmann, D Homolka, Z Yang… - Cell, 2014 - cell.com
Summary Germline-specific Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) protect animal genomes
against transposons and are essential for fertility. piRNAs targeting active transposons are …