Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Astrid D. Haase
Summary: PIWI proteins and piRNAs form an adaptive immune system that protects genome integrity by restricting the activity of mobile genetic elements. piRNAs can discriminate between self and nonself and adapt to novel genomic invaders. They originate from single-stranded RNA and require a unique set of processing factors.
Article
Cell Biology
Jonathan J. Ipsaro, Paul A. O'Brien, Shibani Bhattacharya, Arthur G. Palmer, Leemor Joshua-Tor
Summary: The study demonstrated the specific binding of Asterix/Gtsf1 to tRNAs and determined the structure of mouse Gtsf1. It was found that LTR retrotransposons are preferentially de-repressed in Asterix mutants, indicating the crucial role of Asterix/Gtsf1 in the silencing of LTR retrotransposons.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Yuling Zhou, Ya Fang, Cuilian Dai, Yan Wang
Summary: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules with key functions in silencing transposable elements, not only in germ cells but also in somatic functions. Emerging evidence suggests that the piRNA pathway is important for normal cardiovascular function, and its abnormal expression is associated with cardiovascular dysfunction.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE-JMM
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chun-Chi Chen, Yi-Ming Chan, Hyundoo Jeong
Summary: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a new class of small, non-coding RNAs that play a crucial role in gene expression regulation. Recent research has shown connections between piRNAs, viral defense mechanisms, and certain forms of human cancer. However, detecting piRNAs is challenging due to their lack of conserved structure and sequence homology across species. To address this, the authors propose LSTM4piRNA, a deep learning-based method that utilizes a compact LSTM network to efficiently detect piRNAs in large-scale genome databases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Michael Bartos, Frantisek Siegl, Alena Kopkova, Lenka Radova, Jan Oppelt, Marek Vecera, Tomas Kazda, Radim Jancalek, Michal Hendrych, Marketa Hermanova, Petra Kasparova, Zuzana Pleskacova, Vaclav Vybihal, Pavel Fadrus, Martin Smrcka, Radek Lakomy, Radim Lipina, Tomas Cesak, Ondrej Slaby, Jiri Sana
Summary: Small RNA sequencing analysis identified 58 significantly deregulated piRNA molecules in glioblastoma samples compared to non-tumor brain tissues, and some of these piRNAs were found to be associated with tumor cell proliferation and patient survival rates.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Christian Barbato, Paola Frisone, Laura Braccini, Simona D'Aguanno, Luisa Pieroni, Maria Teresa Ciotti, Caterina Catalanotto, Carlo Cogoni, Francesca Ruberti
Summary: RNA-binding proteins play important roles in miRNA-mediated gene silencing. This study discovered that SERBP1 is a partner protein of Argonaute2, and it participates in miR-92-mediated gene silencing by regulating the 3' UTR of KCC2. These findings advance our understanding of KCC2 translational regulation in neuronal cells and highlight the key role of SERBP1 in this gene regulation.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wenliang Ge, Minhua Chen, Wei Tian, Jianan Chen, Yinshuang Zhao, Hua Xian, Jinling Chen, Yunzhao Xu
Summary: The study found that piRNA expression related to repeated elements is globally downregulated in testicular tissues of cryptorchidism patients, and mRNAs have a global 3'UTR shortening. Genes with shortened 3'UTR are highly enriched in vascular endothelial growth and protein ubiquitination, and tend to be up-regulated in cryptorchidism.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Songqian Huang, Kazutoshi Yoshitake, Shuichi Asakawa
Summary: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play important biological functions in metazoans, defending against transposable elements in germ lines. Recent studies have discovered ubiquitously expressed piRNAs in both soma and germ lines in humans and animals, offering new insights into their diverse functions. Although the exact role of piRNAs remains unclear, ongoing sRNA-seq studies are revealing different activities of piRNAs in the genome.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Zhuang Jing, Yang Xi, Jin Yin, Han Shuwen
Summary: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy worldwide with piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a type of non-coding RNA, being closely linked to its occurrence and development. Studies have shown that piRNAs regulate CRC by modulating multiple molecular signaling pathways, suggesting their potential as molecular targets for CRC treatment.
Article
Cell Biology
Josien C. van Wolfswinkel
Summary: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play a crucial role in defending against transposons in animal germline and stem cells. The extent to which piRNAs also regulate other transcripts is a topic of ongoing debate, with the level of sequence complementarity between piRNA and target being a guiding factor in this discussion. This review summarizes findings from various studies and proposes a set of requirements for predicting targets based on current knowledge.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Ming-Che Kuo, Sam Chi-Hao Liu, Ya-Fang Hsu, Ruey-Meei Wu
Summary: The article discusses the discovery of various noncoding RNAs and their roles in regulating gene expression and modifying metabolic pathways. It highlights the importance of studying these ncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases using diverse sequencing technologies and bioinformatic analytical tools. The review also emphasizes the association of numerous ncRNAs with Parkinson's disease and the potential use of exosome-transferred microRNAs and long ncRNAs in diagnosing and understanding the pathophysiology of PD.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qingcai Meng, Daniel Stoyko, Celine Marlin Andrews, Parthena Konstantinidou, Pavol Genzor, O. Timothy, Alexandra R. Elchert, Leif Benner, Sushil Sobti, Esther Y. Katz, Astrid D. Haase
Summary: The combination of genome-editing and epitope tagging provides a powerful strategy to study proteins while preserving their physiological expression patterns. A simple and fast strategy to generate stable, endogenously tagged alleles is presented, allowing for the emulation of wild type protein expression and functionality.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mandana AmeliMojarad, Melika Amelimojarad
Summary: This review comprehensively discusses the role of piRNAs in the initiation, progression, and occurrence of breast cancer, aiming to understand its function and provide better therapeutic strategies.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jin Zhang, Sizhuo Chen, Ke Liu
Summary: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) were discovered two decades ago and have been found to play critical roles in gene regulation, transposon element repression, and antiviral defense. Dysregulation of piRNAs has been observed in various human diseases, including cancers. Recent studies have shown that many more proteins are involved in piRNA biogenesis. This review provides a summary of the recent progress in piRNA biogenesis and functions, focusing on the molecular mechanisms by which piRNA biogenesis-related proteins contribute to piRNA processing.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ding Ma, Xing Zhou, Yu Wang, Liming Dai, Jie Yuan, Jianping Peng, Xiaoling Zhang, Chuandong Wang
Summary: In this study, we investigated the expression changes of small noncoding RNAs during macrophage polarization using high-throughput sequencing analysis and qPCR. Our results showed that miRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs, snRNAs, and repeat RNAs exhibited altered expression patterns during different polarization states, suggesting their potential roles in regulating macrophage function.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)