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Background
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The Drosophila piwi gene was identified as being required for the self-renewal of germline stem cells. Piwi homologs are well conserved among various species including Arabidopsis, C. elegans, and Homo sapiens. Both Miwi and Mili proteins are mouse homologs of Piwi and contain a C-terminal Piwi domain. Miwi and Mili bind to Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in male germ cells and are essential for spermatogenesis in mice. Synonyms: Piwil1, Miwi, PIWIL1
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