"Dicer" is an enzyme involved in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, a cellular mechanism that regulates gene expression by degrading or silencing specific RNA molecules. Dicer plays a critical role in generating small RNA molecules, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which are key players in the RNAi process. The primary function of Dicer is to cleave long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules into smaller segments, typically around 21-25 nucleotides in length. These smaller segments are then incorporated into Argonaute proteins, which are part of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). Once loaded onto Argonaute proteins, these small RNAs guide the RISC complex to target messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules with complementary sequences.
