该基因编码一种蛋白质，其氨基端含有一个dexh盒，羧基端含有一个RNA基序。编码蛋白作为一种核糖核酸酶发挥作用，由RNA干扰和小时态RNA（strna）途径产生抑制基因表达的活性小RNA成分。选择性剪接导致多个转录变体。

This gene encodes a protein possessing an RNA helicase motif containing a DEXH box in its amino terminus and an RNA motif in the carboxy terminus. The encoded protein functions as a ribonuclease and is required by the RNA interference and small temporal RNA (stRNA) pathways to produce the active small RNA component that represses gene expression. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.