The Coming of Age for Piwi Proteins

DanyC submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.molecule.org)

"Piwi proteins, a subfamily of Argonaute (Ago) proteins, have recently been shown to bind endogenous small RNAs. However, differences between Ago proteins (which bind microRNAs and small interfering RNAs) and Piwi proteins and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) suggest novel functions for Piwi proteins. Here, researchers highlight the recent progress in understanding Piwi function and the implications for germline and stem cell development."

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E2F8 is a nonreceptor activator of heterotrimeric G proteins

captainclaw submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.jmolecularsignaling.com)

"The human transcription factor E2F8 was found to activate heterotrimeric G proteins, suggesting a specific biological role for this recently described member of the E2F family. Epistasis studies showed that E2F8 acted at the level of G proteins and was specific for Gαi over Gpa1. E2F8 augmented receptor-driven signaling, but also activated G proteins in the absence of a receptor. The GTPase-activating protein RGS4 antagonized the effect of E2F8, showing that E2F8's effect on Gα involved nucleotide turnover

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