Nature Communications (Feb 2020)
Crystal structure of Drosophila Piwi
Abstract
PIWI-clade Argonautes bind PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) to silence transposons and maintain genome integrity in animal gonads. Here the authors present the crystal structure of a Drosophila Piwi–piRNA complex isolated from cultured fly ovarian somatic cells and find that it contains a non-canonical DVDK tetrad, and lacks slicer activity in vitro.