The trinucleotide repeat containing 6A (TNRC6A), also known as GW182, was so named because of its molecular weight and the presence of multiple glycine (G)–tryptophan (W) amino acid pairs in the N-terminal region that is required for interaction with Argonaute proteins. GW182 is a critical component of cytoplasmic processing bodies (P-bodies), which have been shown to function in mRNA degradation, storage, and miRNA-mediated gene silencing. The interaction of GW182 with Argonautes is required for P-body localization and may be critical for miRNA-mediated translational repression, because it induces the formation of the complexes containing miRNA–target mRNA. Further, the phosphorylated form of human TNRC6A has been shown to play a role in miRNA mediated gene silencing.