Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
Published on: December 28, 2016
Efficient gene silencing by expression of double stranded RNA in Neurospora crassa
Marina Goldoni1, Gianluca Azzalin, Giuseppe Macino
1Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sezione di Genetica Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena, 324, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
In Neurospora crassa, sequence-specific inhibition of endogenous genes can be induced by the introduction of transgenic DNA homologous to the target gene, through the mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) known as quelling. The application of this strategy to inactivate genes in N. crassa has, to date, been restricted by a limited silencing efficiency and instability of the silenced phenotype. In this study we show that the use of constructs that express hairpin double stranded RNA (dsRNA) permits efficient gene silencing by-passing limiting events in the quelling triggering process occurring upstream of dsRNA production. We found that silenced strains expressing a hairpin RNA displayed higher phenotypic stability compared with quelled strains. Moreover, we show that gene silencing can be modulated by expressing the double stranded RNA from an inducible promoter. Together these results make this method suitable for producing hypomorphic mutants in N. crassa.
Related Concept Videos
Experimental RNAi
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
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...
RNA Interference
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...
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs
Types of RNA
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...

