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Related Concept Videos

RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
Small interfering RNAs (siRNA)02:30

Small interfering RNAs (siRNA)

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...

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RNAi Screening to Identify Postembryonic Phenotypes in C. elegans
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Published on: February 13, 2012

Systemic RNAi in C. elegans requires the putative transmembrane protein SID-1.

William M Winston1, Christina Molodowitch, Craig P Hunter

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 9, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) in C. elegans spreads gene silencing information between cells. The SID-1 protein is essential for this systemic RNAi transmission, acting cell-autonomously.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Double-stranded RNA-mediated gene interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for inhibiting gene expression in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
  • Systemic RNAi allows gene silencing to spread throughout the organism, but the mechanisms of information transmission between cells remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the systemic transmission of RNAi silencing signals in C. elegans.
  • To identify genetic loci involved in the intercellular spread of RNAi effects.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of a C. elegans strain for visualizing systemic RNAi.
  • Genetic screening to identify systemic RNA interference-deficient (sid) mutants.
  • Molecular characterization of identified genes, including gene cloning and protein localization studies.

Main Results:

  • Identification of several sid loci required for the systemic spread of RNAi.
  • The sid-1 locus encodes a conserved transmembrane protein, SID-1.
  • SID-1 is expressed in RNAi-sensitive cells, localized to the cell periphery, and functions cell-autonomously to mediate systemic RNAi.

Conclusions:

  • The SID-1 protein plays a crucial role in the cell-to-cell transmission of gene-silencing information during systemic RNAi in C. elegans.
  • SID-1 represents a key component of the pathway responsible for spreading RNAi effects between tissues.