ReviewMolecular reproduction and development2013
Untangling the web: the diverse functions of the PIWI/piRNA pathway.
Review in Molecular reproduction and development, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 110 citations in OpenAlex.
- Extracellular ssDNA fromInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Integrating Inflammatory and Epigenetic Signatures in IBD-Associated Colorectal Carcinogenesis: Models, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Regulatory roles of PIWI-interacting RNAs in cardiovascular disease.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2025Review
- The Application of Non-Coding RNAs as Biomarkers, Therapies, and Novel Vaccines in Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Epigenetic Alterations in Ovarian Function and Their Impact on Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A Systematic Review.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Hypoxic Postconditioning Offers Neuroprotection Against Transient Cerebral Ischemia via Down-Regulation of rno_piR_011022.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Article
- Small non-coding RNA transcriptomic profiling in adult and fetal human brain.Scientific data · 2024Article
- piOxi database: a web resource of germline and somatic tissue piRNAs identified by chemical oxidation.Database : the journal of biological databases and curation · 2024Article
- A Molecular Analysis of the Aminopeptidase P-Related Domain of PID-5 fromBiomolecules · 2023Article
- Identification and functional characterization of developmental-stage-dependent piRNAs in Tibetan sheep testes.Journal of animal science · 2023Article
- Dynamic regulation of gonadal transposon control across the lifespan of the naturally short-lived African turquoise killifish.Genome research · 2023Article
- The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Glioma.Biomedicines · 2022Review
- The origin of RNA interference: Adaptive or neutral evolution?PLoS biology · 2022Article
- The Progress and Promise of RNA Medicine─An Arsenal of Targeted Treatments.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2022Review
- The epigenetic mechanisms involved in mitochondrial dysfunction: Implication for Parkinson's disease.Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Noncoding RNAs: biology and applications-a Keystone Symposia report.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2021Review
- Article
- PIWI-interacting RNAs: Mitochondria-based biogenesis and functions in cancer.Genes & diseases · 2021Review
- An essential role for the piRNA pathway in regulating the ribosomal RNA pool in C. elegans.Developmental cell · 2021Article
- Epigenetic Regulation of Neuroinflammation in Parkinson's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Small RNAs impact several cellular processes through gene regulation. Argonaute proteins bind small RNAs to form effector complexes that control transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression. PIWI proteins belong to the Argonaute protein family, and bind PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). They are highly abundant in the germline, but are also expressed in some somatic tissues. The PIWI/piRNA pathway has a role in transposon repression in Drosophila, which occurs both by epigenetic regulation and post-transcriptional degradation of transposon mRNAs. These functions are conserved, but clear differences in the extent and mechanism of transposon repression exist between species. Mutations in piwi genes lead to the upregulation of transposon mRNAs. It is hypothesized that this increased transposon mobilization leads to genomic instability and thus sterility, although no causal link has been established between transposon upregulation and genome instability. An alternative scenario could be that piwi mutations directly affect genomic instability, and thus lead to increased transposon expression. We propose that the PIWI/piRNA pathway controls genome stability in several ways: suppression of transposons, direct regulation of chromatin architecture and regulation of genes that control important biological processes related to genome stability. The PIWI/piRNA pathway also regulates at least some, if not many, protein-coding genes, which further lends support to the idea that piwi genes may have broader functions beyond transposon repression. An intriguing possibility is that the PIWI/piRNA pathway is using transposon sequences to coordinate the expression of large groups of genes to regulate cellular function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.