In this issue of Molecular Cell, Gainetdinov et al. (2018) show that PIWI proteins direct both piRNA biogenesis and piRNA function in most animals.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2018.08.035 | DOI Listing |
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Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol
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Small non-coding RNAs can be categorized into two main classes: structural RNAs and regulatory RNAs. Structural RNAs, which are abundant and ubiquitously expressed, have essential roles in the maturation of pre-mRNAs, modification of rRNAs and the translation of coding transcripts. By contrast, regulatory RNAs are often expressed in a developmental-specific, tissue-specific or cell-type-specific manner and exert precise control over gene expression.
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Embryonic piRNAs target horizontally transferred vertebrate transposons in assassin bugs.
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Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Article Synopsis
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