EIF2C1 explained

Protein argonaute-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EIF2C1 gene.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Function

This gene encodes a member of the Argonaute family of proteins which play a role in RNA interference. The encoded protein is highly basic, and contains a PAZ domain and a PIWI domain. It may interact with dicer1 and play a role in short-interfering-RNA-mediated gene silencing. This gene is located on chromosome 1 in a cluster of closely related family members including argonaute 3, and argonaute 4.

Further reading

• Carmell MA, Xuan Z, Zhang MQ, Hannon GJ . The Argonaute family: tentacles that reach into RNAi, developmental control, stem cell maintenance, and tumorigenesis . Genes & Development . 16 . 21 . 2733–42 . Nov 2002 . 12414724 . 10.1101/gad.1026102 . free .
• Reddy PH, Stockburger E, Gillevet P, Tagle DA . Mapping and characterization of novel (CAG)n repeat cDNAs from adult human brain derived by the oligo capture method . Genomics . 46 . 2 . 174–82 . Dec 1997 . 9417904 . 10.1006/geno.1997.5044 .
• Cikaluk DE, Tahbaz N, Hendricks LC, DiMattia GE, Hansen D, Pilgrim D, Hobman TC . GERp95, a membrane-associated protein that belongs to a family of proteins involved in stem cell differentiation . Molecular Biology of the Cell . 10 . 10 . 3357–72 . Oct 1999 . 10512872 . 25603 . 10.1091/mbc.10.10.3357 .
• Martinez J, Patkaniowska A, Urlaub H, Lührmann R, Tuschl T . Single-stranded antisense siRNAs guide target RNA cleavage in RNAi . Cell . 110 . 5 . 563–74 . Sep 2002 . 12230974 . 10.1016/S0092-8674(02)00908-X . 11858/00-001M-0000-0012-F2FD-2 . 10616773 . free .
• Doi N, Zenno S, Ueda R, Ohki-Hamazaki H, Ui-Tei K, Saigo K . Short-interfering-RNA-mediated gene silencing in mammalian cells requires Dicer and eIF2C translation initiation factors . Current Biology . 13 . 1 . 41–6 . Jan 2003 . 12526743 . 10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01394-5 . 14650075 . free . 2003CBio...13...41D .
• Ma JB, Ye K, Patel DJ . Structural basis for overhang-specific small interfering RNA recognition by the PAZ domain . Nature . 429 . 6989 . 318–22 . May 2004 . 15152257 . 10.1038/nature02519 . 4700412 . 2004Natur.429..318M .
• Sen GL, Blau HM . Argonaute 2/RISC resides in sites of mammalian mRNA decay known as cytoplasmic bodies . Nature Cell Biology . 7 . 6 . 633–6 . Jun 2005 . 15908945 . 10.1038/ncb1265 . 6085169 .
• Liu J, Valencia-Sanchez MA, Hannon GJ, Parker R . MicroRNA-dependent localization of targeted mRNAs to mammalian P-bodies . Nature Cell Biology . 7 . 7 . 719–23 . Jul 2005 . 15937477 . 1855297 . 10.1038/ncb1274 .
• Chu CY, Rana TM . Translation repression in human cells by microRNA-induced gene silencing requires RCK/p54 . PLOS Biology . 4 . 7 . e210 . Jul 2006 . 16756390 . 1475773 . 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040210 . free .
• Kim DH, Villeneuve LM, Morris KV, Rossi JJ . Argonaute-1 directs siRNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing in human cells . Nature Structural & Molecular Biology . 13 . 9 . 793–7 . Sep 2006 . 16936726 . 10.1038/nsmb1142 . 26923711 .
• Janowski BA, Huffman KE, Schwartz JC, Ram R, Nordsell R, Shames DS, Minna JD, Corey DR . Involvement of AGO1 and AGO2 in mammalian transcriptional silencing . Nature Structural & Molecular Biology . 13 . 9 . 787–92 . Sep 2006 . 16936728 . 10.1038/nsmb1140 . 2230812 .
• Sasaki T, Shimizu N . Evolutionary conservation of a unique amino acid sequence in human DICER protein essential for binding to Argonaute family proteins . Gene . 396 . 2 . 312–20 . Jul 2007 . 17482383 . 10.1016/j.gene.2007.04.001 .

Notes and References

1. Koesters R, Adams V, Betts D, Moos R, Schmid M, Siermann A, Hassam S, Weitz S, Lichter P, Heitz PU, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Briner J . Human eukaryotic initiation factor EIF2C1 gene: cDNA sequence, genomic organization, localization to chromosomal bands 1p34-p35, and expression . Genomics . 61 . 2 . 210–8 . Oct 1999 . 10534406 . 10.1006/geno.1999.5951 . 24461432 .
2. Sasaki T, Shiohama A, Minoshima S, Shimizu N . Identification of eight members of the Argonaute family in the human genome . Genomics . 82 . 3 . 323–30 . Sep 2003 . 12906857 . 10.1016/S0888-7543(03)00129-0 .
3. Web site: Entrez Gene: EIF2C1 eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2C, 1.