InnateDB: Systems Biology of the Innate Immune Response

Homo sapiens Protein: PIWIL4

Summary

InnateDB Protein

IDBP-596827.3

Last Modified

2014-10-13 [Report errors or provide feedback]

Gene Symbol

PIWIL4

Protein Name

piwi-like 4 (Drosophila)

Synonyms

Species

Homo sapiens

Ensembl Protein

ENSP00000444575

InnateDB Gene

IDBG-68329 (PIWIL4)

Protein Structure

UniProt Annotation

Function

Plays a central role during spermatogenesis by repressing transposable elements and preventing their mobilization, which is essential for the germline integrity. Acts via the piRNA metabolic process, which mediates the repression of transposable elements during meiosis by forming complexes composed of piRNAs and Piwi proteins and governs the methylation and subsequent repression of transposons. Directly binds piRNAs, a class of 24 to 30 nucleotide RNAs that are generated by a Dicer- independent mechanism and are primarily derived from transposons and other repeated sequence elements. Associates with secondary piRNAs antisense and PIWIL2/MILI is required for such association. The piRNA process acts upstream of known mediators of DNA methylation. Participates in a piRNA amplification loop. Besides their function in transposable elements repression, piRNAs are probably involved in other processes during meiosis such as translation regulation (By similarity). May be involved in the chromatin-modifying pathway by inducing 'Lys-9' methylation of histone H3 at some loci. {ECO:0000250, ECO:0000269PubMed:12906857}.

Subcellular Localization

Nucleus {ECO:0000250}. Cytoplasm {ECO:0000250}. Note=Probable component of the meiotic nuage, also named P granule, a germ-cell-specific organelle required to repress transposon activity during meiosis. PIWIL2/MILI is required for nuclear localization (By similarity). {ECO:0000250}.

Disease Associations

Tissue Specificity

Expressed in testis. According to PubMed:17544373, it is ubiquitously expressed. {ECO:0000269PubMed:17544373}.

Comments

Interactions

Number of Interactions

This gene and/or its encoded proteins are associated with 10 experimentally validated interaction(s) in this database.

Experimentally validated
Total	10 [view]
Protein-Protein	9 [view]
Protein-DNA	0
Protein-RNA	0
DNA-DNA	1 [view]
RNA-RNA	0
DNA-RNA	0

Gene Ontology

Molecular Function

Accession	GO Term
GO:0003676	nucleic acid binding
GO:0005515	protein binding
GO:0034584	piRNA binding

Biological Process

GO:0006417	regulation of translation
GO:0007126	meiotic nuclear division
GO:0007275	multicellular organismal development
GO:0007283	spermatogenesis
GO:0030154	cell differentiation
GO:0031047	gene silencing by RNA
GO:0034587	piRNA metabolic process
GO:0043046	DNA methylation involved in gamete generation