To protect future generations against genomic havoc, defects in innate defense systems usually result in sterility. In animals, the main defense against troublemaking transposons is the Piwi-interacting RNA pathway. A team has identified a protein the Piwi system uses to guide a cell's gene-silencing machinery to the right spots in the genome, allowing it to keep transposons in check. They call the protein Panoramix, after a comic book character who endows others with great power.
To protect future generations against genomic havoc, defects in innate defense systems usually result in sterility. In animals, the main defense against troublemaking transposons is the Piwi-interacting RNA pathway. A team has identified a protein the Piwi system uses to guide a cell's gene-silencing machinery to the right spots in the genome, allowing it to keep transposons in check. They call the protein Panoramix, after a comic book character who endows others with great power.
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