RNAi

Name:
RNAi
Detailed information:
(RNA interference; RNA silencing). The mechanism by which small double-stranded RNAs can interfere with expression of any mRNA having a similar sequence. Those small RNAs are known as “siRNA”, for short interfering RNAs. The mode of action for siRNA appears to be via dissociation of its strands, hybridization to the target RNA, extension of those fragments by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, then fragmentation of the target. Importantly, the remnants of the target molecule appears to then act as an siRNA itself; thus the effect of a small amount of starting siRNA is effectively amplified and can have long-lasting effects on the recipient cell.The RNAi effect has been exploited in numerous research programs to deplete the call of specific messages, thus examining the role of those messages by their absence.