ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2017
Expression of Piwi protein MIWI2 defines a distinct population of multiciliated cells.
Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Integrative role of small non-coding RNAs in viral immune response: a systematic review.Molecular biology reports · 2024Pooled it
- PIWIL4 regulates gene expression and piRNA levels in RSV-infected airway epithelial cells.iScience · 2026Article
- PIWIL4 regulates gene expression and piRNA levels in RSV-infected airway epithelial cells.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- SomaticiScience · 2025Article
- Somatic piRNA and PIWI-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in stem cells and disease.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Review
- The emerging role of the piRNA/PIWI complex in respiratory tract diseases.Respiratory research · 2023Review
- Innate immune responses in pneumonia.Pneumonia (Nathan Qld.) · 2023Review
- A census of the lung: CellCards from LungMAP.Developmental cell · 2022Article
- Respiratory syncytial virus infection changes the piwi-interacting RNA content of airway epithelial cells.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2022Article
- Mammalian antiviral systems directed by small RNA.PLoS pathogens · 2021Review
- PIWI-mediated control of tissue-specific transposons is essential for somatic cell differentiation.Cell reports · 2021Article
- piRNAs and endo-siRNAs: Small molecules with large roles in the nervous system.Neurochemistry international · 2021Review
- Non-lytic clearance of influenza B virus from infected cells preserves epithelial barrier function.Nature communications · 2019Article
- Roles of interleukin-11 during acute bacterial pneumonia.PloS one · 2019Article
- Integrative Physiology of Pneumonia.Physiological reviews · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
P-element-induced wimpy testes (Piwi) proteins are known for suppressing retrotransposon activation in the mammalian germline. However, whether Piwi protein or Piwi-dependent functions occur in the mammalian soma is unclear. Contrary to germline-restricted expression, we observed that Piwi-like Miwi2 mRNA is indeed expressed in epithelial cells of the lung in adult mice and that it is induced during pneumonia. Further investigation revealed that MIWI2 protein localized to the cytoplasm of a discrete population of multiciliated airway epithelial cells. Isolation and next-generation sequencing of MIWI2-positive multiciliated cells revealed that they are phenotypically distinct from neighboring MIWI2-negative multiciliated cells. Mice lacking MIWI2 exhibited an altered balance of airway epithelial cells, demonstrating fewer multiciliated cells and an increase in club cells. During pneumococcal pneumonia, Miwi2-deficient mice exhibited increased expression of inflammatory mediators and increased immune cell recruitment, leading to enhanced bacterial clearance. Taken together, our data delineate MIWI2-dependent functions outside of the germline and demonstrate the presence of distinct subsets of airway multiciliated cells that can be discriminated by MIWI2 expression. By demonstrating roles for MIWI2 in airway cell identity and pulmonary innate immunity, these studies elucidate unanticipated physiological functions for Piwi proteins in somatic tissues.
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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.