Ribozyme-mediated suppression of G protein gamma subunits

Efforts to determine the sequence of the human genome have resulted in sequence information on thousand of genes. Now, the challenge is to determine the functions of this myriad of genes, including those encoding the G protein subunit families. In this chapter, we describe the successful use of ribozymes to inactivate mRNAs expressed from the G protein gamma subunit genes. Ribozymes are unique in that they can inactivate specific gene expression, and thereby can be used to help identify the function of a protein or the role of a gene in a functional cascade. Compared to other means of identifying the role of a gene (i.e., transgenic or knockout animals), ribozymes are specific and relatively easy to use. Moreover, ribozymes are able to discriminate closely related, or even mutated, sequences within gene families. Thus, in addition to elucidating functions, ribozymes have the potential to be used in treating genetic disorders associated with mutations of G protein subunits.