PIWI-interacting RNA-guided somatic gene regulation in cell homeostasis and differentiation

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In the late nineties, researchers uncovered a new cellular pathway in animals which is triggered by duplex RNA molecules and controls the flow of genetic information. This breakthrough discovery called RNA interference (RNAi) was acknowledged by the Nobel Committee in 2006 for its potential in the development of novel RNA-based technologies based on small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that will be extremely useful for biological research and industrial application. My research group will investigate the role of sncRNA named PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) in gene regulation using human and mouse cell lines, including those with regenerative capacity to understand their complex mechanisms defining cellular characteristics and function. I believe that this innovative research program will contribute to unveil the importance of piRNAs in determining cellular identity and support the use of piRNAs as molecular tools in research laboratories and industries focused on life science and biomedicine.