An Instruction to RNAi

RNA interference refers to the phenomenon of highly conserved during evolution, induced by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and homologous mRNA high-efficiency and specific degradation. Gene silencing mainly includes pre-transcriptional level gene silencing (TGS) and post-transcriptional level gene silencing (PTGS): TGS means that genes cannot be transcribed normally due to DNA modification or chromosome heterochromatinization; PTGS is the start The specific degradation mechanism of the target mRNA sequence in the cytoplasm is described. Sometimes genetic modification can cause TGS and PTGS at the same time.

Because RNAi technology can specifically eliminate or turn off the expression of specific genes, (dsRNA longer than 30 can cause interferon toxicity), this technology has been widely used to explore gene function and the treatment of infectious diseases and malignant tumors.

Introduction

In recent years, RNAi research has made breakthrough progress. It was named one of the top ten scientific advances in 2001 by "Science" magazine, and ranked first in the top ten scientific advances in 2002. Because RNAi technology can specifically remove or shut down the expression of specific genes, this technology has been widely used in the field of gene therapy to explore gene function and infectious diseases and malignant tumors.

RNAi is the process of studying C. elegans antisense RNA (antisense RNA)

The process of homologous RNA degradation mediated by dsRNA. In 1995, Guo et al. found that both sense RNA and antisense RNA can effectively and specifically inhibit the expression of C. elegans par-1 gene. This result cannot be made reasonable by the theory of antisense RNA technology. Explanation. Until 1998, Fire et al. confirmed that the phenomenon of sense RNA inhibiting the expression of homologous genes discovered by Guo et al. was caused by the contamination of trace amounts of dsRNA in the RNA prepared by in vitro transcription, and named this phenomenon RNAi.

Since then, dsRNA-mediated RNAi phenomena have been successively discovered in fungi, fruit flies, Arabidopsis, trypanosomes, hydroids, planarians, zebrafish and other eukaryotes, and gradually confirmed posttranscriptional gene silencing in plants (posttranscriptional gene silencing). Silencing (PTGS), cosuppression, RNA-mediated virus resistance, and fungal quelling are all manifestations of RNAi in different species.

In 1992, Romano and Macino also discovered that introduced foreign genes in N. crassa can inhibit the expression of endogenous genes with homologous sequences.

In 1995, Guo and Kemphues also discovered RNA interference in C. elegans.

In 1999, Hamilton et al. first discovered an RNA intermediate product with a length of 25 nt in PTGS plants. In 2000, Zamore and Hammond et al. used Drosophila cells cultured in vitro to conduct research and found that exogenous dsRNA was degraded into 21-23 nt small interfering RNA (siRNA) through an energy-consuming process to trigger RNAi.

In 2000, Wianny and Svoboda et al. confirmed that dsRNA can trigger RNAi effects in mouse embryonic cells and oocytes, respectively. In 2001, Elbashir et al. proved that 21nt siRNA can avoid the activation of dsRNA-dependent protein kinase (dsRNA-dependent protein kinase, PKR) and 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase). , 2',5'-OAS) signal transduction pathway, while effectively inhibiting the expression of target genes in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, Hela cells and other mammalian cells.

In 2002, Brummelkamp and others used the mouse H1 promoter to construct the small hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector pSUPER for the first time, and confirmed that transfection of this vector can effectively and specifically eliminate the expression of target genes in mammalian cells. Laid a foundation for the use of RNAi technology for gene therapy research.

In 2006, Andrew Fahr and Craig C. Mello won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their contributions to the study of RNAi mechanisms.

About us

BOC RNA is a sub-brand of BOC Sciences, which mainly focuses on RNA technology and its broad prospects in disease treatment.

We provide comprehensive RNA related products and services, including siRNA design, synthesis, analysis, coupling, and delivery and mRNA vaccines, covering all development processes of RNA drugs.

We will make every effort to help simplify and accelerate your drug discovery and disease treatment research efforts.