Table 1. Cellular proteins involved in gene silencing.

Protein

Mutant name/organism

Possible roles

RdRP

qde1/ Neurospora

sde1/ Arabidopsis

sgs2/ Arabidopsis

ego1/ C. elegans
  1. Synthesis of cDNA
  2. Amplification of dsRNA
  3. Signaling of methylation
  4. Development
  5. Viral defense

elF2c

qde2/ Neurospora

rde1/ C. elegans

ago1/ Chlamydomonas
  1. Target PTGS to ribosomes
  2. Signaling of methylation
  3. Development

RecQ DNA

Rnase D-like

RNA helicase

qde3/ Neurospora

mut-7/ C. elegans

mut-6/ Chlamydomonas
  1. Unwinding dsRNA helicase
  2.  Transposon defense
  3. Ribonuclease

Coiled-coil protein

sgs3/ Arabidopsis
  1. Signaling methylation
  2. Viral defense

NMD proteins

smg2/ C. elegans

smg5/ C. elegans

smg6/ C. elegans
  1. ATPase helicase/RNA binding
  2. Dephosphorylation of SMG2

rgs-Cam

Nicotiana tobacum
  1. Suppression of PTGS
  2. Development

ago1, argonaute1; ego1, enhancer of glp-1; qde, quelling defective; rde, RNA interference deficient; rgs-Cam, regulator of gene silencing calmodulin-like protein; sde, silencing defective; sgs, suppressor of gene silencing

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network