Protein argonaute-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EIF2C2 gene. [5] [6] [7]
This gene encodes a member of the Argonaute family of proteins which play a role in RNA interference. The encoded protein is highly basic, and contains a PAZ domain and a PIWI domain. It may interact with Dicer1 and play a role in short-interfering-RNA-mediated gene silencing. [7]
EIF2C2 has been shown to interact with
The RNA-induced silencing complex, or RISC, is a multiprotein complex, specifically a ribonucleoprotein, which functions in gene silencing via a variety of pathways at the transcriptional and translational levels. Using single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) fragments, such as microRNA (miRNA), or double-stranded small interfering RNA (siRNA), the complex functions as a key tool in gene regulation. The single strand of RNA acts as a template for RISC to recognize complementary messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript. Once found, one of the proteins in RISC, Argonaute, activates and cleaves the mRNA. This process is called RNA interference (RNAi) and it is found in many eukaryotes; it is a key process in defense against viral infections, as it is triggered by the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).
The Argonaute protein family, first discovered for its evolutionarily conserved stem cell function, plays a central role in RNA silencing processes as essential components of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). RISC is responsible for the gene silencing phenomenon known as RNA interference (RNAi). Argonaute proteins bind different classes of small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Small RNAs guide Argonaute proteins to their specific targets through sequence complementarity, which then leads to mRNA cleavage, translation inhibition, and/or the initiation of mRNA decay.
Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) is the largest class of small non-coding RNA molecules expressed in animal cells. piRNAs form RNA-protein complexes through interactions with piwi-subfamily Argonaute proteins. These piRNA complexes are mostly involved in the epigenetic and post-transcriptional silencing of transposable elements and other spurious or repeat-derived transcripts, but can also be involved in the regulation of other genetic elements in germ line cells.
Piwi genes were identified as regulatory proteins responsible for stem cell and germ cell differentiation. Piwi is an abbreviation of P-elementInduced WImpy testis in Drosophila. Piwi proteins are highly conserved RNA-binding proteins and are present in both plants and animals. Piwi proteins belong to the Argonaute/Piwi family and have been classified as nuclear proteins. Studies on Drosophila have also indicated that Piwi proteins have no slicer activity conferred by the presence of the Piwi domain. In addition, Piwi associates with heterochromatin protein 1, an epigenetic modifier, and piRNA-complementary sequences. These are indications of the role Piwi plays in epigenetic regulation. Piwi proteins are also thought to control the biogenesis of piRNA as many Piwi-like proteins contain slicer activity which would allow Piwi proteins to process precursor piRNA into mature piRNA.
RNA-induced transcriptional silencing (RITS) is a form of RNA interference by which short RNA molecules – such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) – trigger the downregulation of transcription of a particular gene or genomic region. This is usually accomplished by posttranslational modification of histone tails which target the genomic region for heterochromatin formation. The protein complex that binds to siRNAs and interacts with the methylated lysine 9 residue of histones H3 (H3K9me2) is the RITS complex.
Trinucleotide repeat-containing gene 6A protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNRC6A gene.
Regulator of nonsense transcripts 3B is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UPF3B gene.
Pescadillo homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PES1 gene.
Pre-mRNA-processing factor 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRPF6 gene.
Protein argonaute-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EIF2C1 gene.
U4/U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein Prp4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRPF4 gene. The removal of introns from nuclear pre-mRNAs occurs on complexes called spliceosomes, which are made up of 4 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particles and an undefined number of transiently associated splicing factors. PRPF4 is 1 of several proteins that associate with U4 and U6 snRNPs.[supplied by OMIM]
Gem-associated protein 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GEMIN4 gene.
Regulator of nonsense transcripts 3A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UPF3A gene.
CD2 antigen cytoplasmic tail-binding protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CD2BP2 gene.
Piwi-like protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PIWIL1 gene.
Trinucleotide repeat-containing gene 6B protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TNRC6B gene.
RNA-binding protein 28 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RBM28 gene. It is a nucleolar component of the spliceosomal ribonucleoprotein complexes.
Zinc finger protein 473 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ZNF473 gene.
High-throughput sequencing of RNA isolated by crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) is a variant of CLIP for genome-wide mapping protein–RNA binding sites or RNA modification sites in vivo. HITS-CLIP was originally used to generate genome-wide protein-RNA interaction maps for the neuron-specific RNA-binding protein and splicing factor NOVA1 and NOVA2; since then a number of other splicing factor maps have been generated, including those for PTB, RbFox2, SFRS1, hnRNP C, and even N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA modifications.
RDE-1 (RNAi-DEfective 1) is a primary Argonaute protein required for RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) in Caenorhabditis elegans. The rde-1 gene locus was first characterized in C. elegans mutants resistant to RNAi, and is a member of a highly conserved Piwi gene family that includes plant, Drosophila, and vertebrate homologs.