A unique HMG-box domain of mouse Maelstrom binds structured RNA but not double stranded DNA.
Piwi-interacting piRNAs are a major and essential class of small RNAs in the animal germ cells with a prominent role in transposon control.Efficient piRNA biogenesis and function require a cohort of proteins conserved throughout the animal kingdom.Here we studied Maelstrom (MAEL), which is essential for piRNA biogenesis and germ cell differentiatio