title: A piece of the pi(e): The diverse roles of animal piRNAs and their PIWI partners.
abstract: Small non-coding RNAs are indispensable to many biological processes. A class of endogenous small RNAs, termed PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) because of their association with PIWI proteins, has known roles in safeguarding the genome against inordinate transposon mobilization, embryonic development, and stem cell regulation, among others. This review discusses the biogenesis of animal piRNAs and their diverse functions together with their PIWI protein partners, both in the germline and in somatic cells, and highlights the evolutionarily conserved aspects of these molecular players in animal biology.
authors.affiliation: Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117604, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: robyn.lim.s.m@sgh.com.sg.
authors.forename: Robyn S M
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117604, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: toshie_kai@fbs.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060565:Argonaute Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; C421088:PIWIL1 protein, human; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
keywords: Evolutionary conservation; Gene regulation; PIWI protein; PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA); Transposable elements; piRNA biogenesis