PIWIL3
Description
The PIWIL3 (piwi like RNA-mediated gene silencing 3) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 22.
PIWIL3 plays a crucial role in spermatogenesis by suppressing transposable elements, thus safeguarding the integrity of the germline. This protein functions through the piRNA metabolic pathway, which involves the formation of complexes between piRNAs and Piwi proteins. These complexes regulate the methylation and subsequent silencing of transposons during meiosis. PIWIL3 directly interacts with piRNAs, a distinct class of 24-30 nucleotide RNAs, generated by a Dicer-independent mechanism, primarily originating from transposons and repetitive sequences. While their primary role is in transposon silencing, piRNAs are also likely involved in other meiotic processes, including translation regulation.
PIWIL3 is also known as HIWI3.
