User:Dblandford/PAZ Domain

The PAZ Domain
The PAZ Domain is named after the proteins Piwi Argonaut and Zwille. It is also found in the CAF protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. The function of the domain is unknown but has been found in the middle region of a number of members of the Argonaute protein family, which also contain the Piwi domain in their C-terminal region. Several members of this family have been implicated in the development and maintenance of stem cells through the RNA-mediated gene-quelling mechanisms associated with the protein Dicer.