ArticleNature cell biology2020
piRNA-independent function of PIWIL1 as a co-activator for anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome to drive pancreatic cancer metastasis.
Article in Nature cell biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 44 papers.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- PIWIL4 regulates gene expression and piRNA levels in RSV-infected airway epithelial cells.iScience · 2026Article
- PIWIL3-piRNA pathway controls rabbit oogenesis and embryogenesis via broad regulation of the transcriptome and proteome.Nature communications · 2026Article
- piR-61298 promotes colorectal cancer progression through destabilizing p53 by interacting with USP10.Journal of biomedical research · 2026Article
- Non-gonadal PIWIL1/Aubergine drives regenerative and tumorigenic stem cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in the intestine.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Emerging roles of PIWI-interacting RNAs in cancer molecular diagnostics and therapeutics: a molecular biosciences perspective.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026Review
- PIWIL4 regulates gene expression and piRNA levels in RSV-infected airway epithelial cells.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Regulatory mechanisms and clinical implications of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in major digestive tract cancers.Cancer cell international · 2025Review
- piRNA processing within non-membrane structures is governed by constituent proteins and their functional motifs.The FEBS journal · 2025Review
- Integration of multi-omics data to unveil the molecular landscape and role of piRNAs in early-onset colorectal cancer.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- PIWIL genes in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-omics approach uncovering dysregulated expression and ceRNA networks in mice.BMC genomic data · 2024Article
- Mechanisms Behind the Impact of PIWI Proteins on Cancer Cells: Literature Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- PIWIL1 is recruited to centrosomes during mitosis in colorectal cancer cells and is linked to cell cycle progression.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Sex differences in DNA methylation variations according to ART conception-evidence from the Norwegian mother, father, and child cohort study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Critical appraisal of the piRNA-PIWI axis in cancer and cancer stem cells.Biomarker research · 2024Review
- PIWI pathway: bridging acute myeloid leukemia stemness and cellular differentiation.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2024Article
- Novel roles of PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting RNAs in human health and diseases.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2023Review
- Article
- Transcriptional co-activators: emerging roles in signaling pathways and potential therapeutic targets for diseases.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Review
- Non-gonadal somatic piRNA pathways ensure sexual differentiation, larval growth, and wing development in silkworms.PLoS genetics · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
18 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Piwi proteins are normally restricted in germ cells to suppress transposons through associations with Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), but they are also frequently activated in many types of human cancers. A great puzzle is the lack of significant induction of corresponding piRNAs in cancer cells, as we document here in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs), which implies that such germline-specific proteins are somehow hijacked to promote tumorigenesis through a different mode of action. Here, we show that in the absence of piRNAs, human PIWIL1 in PDAC functions as an oncoprotein by activating the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) E3 complex, which then targets a critical cell adhesion-related protein, Pinin, to enhance PDAC metastasis. This is in contrast to piRNA-dependent PIWIL1 ubiquitination and removal by APC/C during late spermiogenesis. These findings unveil a piRNA-dependent mechanism to switch PIWIL1 from a substrate in spermatids to a co-activator of APC/C in human cancer cells.
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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.