Retrotransposon Like Protein 1 (RTL1)

The retrotransposon-derived mouse gene Rtl1 (retrotransposon-like-1), also known as Peg11 (paternally expressed-11) is a paternally expressed imprinted gene highly expressed at the late fetal stage in both the fetus and placenta. Rtl1 has an overlapping maternally expressed antisense transcript, Rtl1 antisense (Rtl1as, also known as anti-Peg11), which contains several microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting the Rtl1 transcript through an RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism. Rtl1 is essential for maintenance of the fetal capillaries and that both its loss and its overproduction cause late fetal and/or neonatal lethality in mice. The observations contributed to the understanding of the formation and maintenance of the eutherian chorioallantoic placenta, and how the feto-maternal interface is maintained.