PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting RNAs in the soma

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 505; no. 7483; pp. 353 - 359
• Main Authors: Ross, Robert J., Weiner, Molly M., Lin, Haifan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 16.01.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/208; 631/337; 631/337/384; Animals; Argonaute Proteins - metabolism; Cellular control mechanisms; Ciliophora - genetics; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; Epigenesis, Genetic - genetics; Female; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genome - genetics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Identification and classification; Interactomes; Medical research; multidisciplinary; Mutation; Neoplasms - genetics; Ovary - cytology; Ovary - metabolism; Phenotype; Protein research; review-article; RNA; RNA, Small Interfering - biosynthesis; RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism; Science; Stem cells
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/nature12987

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-specific, even though the somatic function of PIWI proteins was documented when they were first discovered. Recent studies have begun to re-explore this pathway in somatic cells in diverse organisms, particularly lower eukaryotes. These studies have illustrated the multifaceted somatic functions of the pathway not only in transposon silencing but also in genome rearrangement and epigenetic programming, with biological roles in stem-cell function, whole-body regeneration, memory and possibly cancer.