Disease relevance of Eif2c1

• Anti-Su autoantibodies from both human patients with rheumatic diseases and a mouse model of autoimmunity recognize the endonucleolytic Argonaute and Dicer proteins, both crucial enzymes of the RNAi pathway [1].

High impact information on Eif2c1

• They are expressed during spermatogenesis, mostly in spermatids. piRNAs are associated with MIWI, a spermatogenesis-specific PIWI subfamily member of the Argonaute protein family, and depend on MIWI for their biogenesis and/or stability [2].
• Interplay of PIWI/Argonaute protein MIWI and kinesin KIF17b in chromatoid bodies of male germ cells [3].
• RNAi induction and activation in mammalian muscle cells where Dicer and eIF2C translation initiation factors are barely expressed [4].
• Here, we report that anti-Su autoantibodies from human patients with rheumatic diseases and in a mouse model of autoimmunity recognize the human Argonaute (Ago) protein, hAgo2, the catalytic core enzyme in the RNAi pathway [5].
• The Argonaute subfamily acts in RNA interference and in microRNA-mediated gene regulation using 21-22-nucleotide RNAs as guides [6].

Biological context of Eif2c1

• Small RNAs bound to Argonaute proteins recognize partially or fully complementary nucleic acid targets in diverse gene-silencing processes [7].
• Small RNAs associate with Argonaute proteins and serve as sequence-specific guides to regulate messenger RNA stability, protein synthesis, chromatin organization and genome structure [6].

Anatomical context of Eif2c1

• A subgroup of the Argonaute proteins--known as the 'Piwi family'--is required for germ- and stem-cell development in invertebrates, and two Piwi members--MILI and MIWI--are essential for spermatogenesis in mouse [7].

References