A protein family that binds small guide RNAs and participates in sequence-directed regulation. Guide complementarity can identify targets, but cleavage activity varies among family members and pathways.
A germline nuclear Caenorhabditis elegans Argonaute required for maintenance of some inherited small-RNA-dependent silencing states.
Endonucleolytic target cleavage directed by a small-RNA guide and a catalytically competent Argonaute. Cleavage typically falls opposite guide positions 10 and 11; not all Argonautes can slice.
An Argonaute-family branch binding piRNAs. Cytoplasmic cleavage and nuclear transcriptional silencing protect the germline in many animals, with important species and tissue differences.
The Caenorhabditis elegans Piwi-family protein associated with 21U piRNAs and germline surveillance of RNA expression.
Recognition by its associated small RNAs helps distinguish transcripts for germline surveillance. Establishing a persistent silenced state additionally involves downstream pathways, so initial recognition and long-term maintenance are different stages. [ref]
piRNAs Can Trigger a Multigenerational Epigenetic Memory in the Germline of C. elegans by Alyson Ashe and others. 2012, recognition and inherited silencing
A mouse Piwi-family protein associated with fetal male germ-cell transposon repression and de novo DNA methylation.
Its associated guide RNAs contribute sequence information for recognition of transposon-related material. Repression can involve both RNA-level and chromatin-associated outputs, depending on developmental stage and partner factors. [ref]
A piRNA Pathway Primed by Individual Transposons Is Linked to De Novo DNA Methylation in Mice by Alexei A. Aravin and others. 2008, germline piRNA pathway and methylation
Complementary cleavage relationships between small-RNA molecular populations can reinforce production of transposon-targeting guides. The resulting signature links sequence recognition to amplification rather than simply accumulating every small RNA indiscriminately. [ref]
A Drosophila Piwi-family protein participating in germline piRNA-mediated regulation, including ping-pong amplification.
It binds selected small RNAs and participates in transcript recognition and cleavage within a germline defence network. Its relationship with AGO3 helps amplify appropriate guide molecular populations, linking molecular specificity to transposon control. [ref]
An epigenetic role for maternally inherited piRNAs in transposon silencing by Julius Brennecke and others. 2008, inherited piRNAs and transposon repression
In Arabidopsis thaliana, it associates with small interfering RNAs that help target RNA-directed DNA methylation. Sequence complementarity supplies specificity while partner proteins connect recognition to a chromatin modification rather than cleavage of every matching transcript. [ref]
ARGONAUTE4 control of locus-specific siRNA accumulation and DNA and histone methylation by Daniel Zilberman and others. 2003, AGO4-dependent methylation and silencing
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