Piwi-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs), the Guardians of the Germ-line Stem Cell Genome: Biogenesis and Function 2010

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) - a major class of small regulatory RNA - are the most recently discovered class of small non-coding RNAs, and, as their name suggests, they bind to specialized proteins from the Argonaute family, called "Piwi" proteins. Present in both egg- and sperm-producing cells in fruit flies, and in sperm-producing cells in mammals, piRNAs serve to preserve the integrity of the germ-line stem cell genomes. In contrast to miRNAs and siRNAs, little it is still known about how piRNAs are generated and which their mechanisms of action are. This half-day meeting will explore recent research on piRNAs biogenesis and their role in self-renewing divisions of germ-line stem cells, genome integrity, and epigenetic regulation.