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Science 2 November 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5851, pp. 761 - 764
DOI: 10.1126/science.1146484
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Review

The Piwi-piRNA Pathway Provides an Adaptive Defense in the Transposon Arms Race

Alexei A. Aravin,* Gregory J. Hannon,{dagger} Julius Brennecke*

Increasingly complex networks of small RNAs act through RNA-interference (RNAi) pathways to regulate gene expression, to mediate antiviral responses, to organize chromosomal domains, and to restrain the spread of selfish genetic elements. Historically, RNAi has been defined as a response to double-stranded RNA. However, some small RNA species may not arise from double-stranded RNA precursors. Yet, like microRNAs and small interfering RNAs, such species guide Argonaute proteins to silencing targets through complementary base-pairing. Silencing can be achieved by corecruitment of accessory factors or through the activity of Argonaute itself, which often has endonucleolytic activity. As a specific and adaptive regulatory system, RNAi is used throughout eukarya, which indicates a long evolutionary history. A likely function of RNAi throughout that history is to protect the genome from both pathogenic and parasitic invaders.

Watson School of Biological Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.

* These authors contributed equally to the work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hannon{at}cshl.edu

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