EIF2C1

EIF2C1

A gene on chromosome 1p34.3 that encodes a protein required for RNA-mediated gene silencing, binding to short RNAs, such as microRNAs or short interfering RNAs, and repressing the translation of mRNAs complementary to them. EIF2C1 lacks endonuclease activity and does not appear to cleave target mRNAs. It is required for transcriptional gene silencing of promoter regions which are complementary to bound short anti-gene RNA.