| Gene Symbol | PIWIL4 |
|---|---|
| Entrez Gene | 143689 |
| Alt Symbol | HIWI2, MIWI2 |
| Species | Human |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Description | piwi-like RNA-mediated gene silencing 4 |
| Other Description | piwi-like 4|piwi-like protein 4 |
| Swissprots | Q8N9V8 Q68CZ4 B4DEG5 Q8NEH2 Q8N8G9 Q7Z3Z4 |
| Accessions | EAW66940 EAW66941 Q7Z3Z4 AB079366 BAC81341 AF086344 AK093475 BAC04179 AK096837 BAC04873 AK293616 BAG57076 BC031060 AAH31060 CR749642 CAH18436 DB091271 DQ891240 ABM82166 DQ894425 ABM85351 NM_152431 NP_689644 |
| 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 chromat |
| Subcellular Location | 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}. |
| Tissue Specificity | Expressed in testis. According to PubMed:17544373, it is ubiquitously expressed. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:17544373}. |
| Top Pathways | Dorso-ventral axis formation |