Dicer is required for haploid male germ cell differentiation in mice.
BACKGROUND: The RNase III endonuclease Dicer is an important regulator of gene expression that processes microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).The best-characterized function of miRNAs is gene repression at the post-transcriptional level through the pairing with mRNAs of protein-encoding genes.Small RNAs can also act at the transcr