Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Single-step Purification of Macromolecular Complexes Using RNA Attached to Biotin and a Photo-cleavable Linker
Published on: January 3, 2019
Assembly and function of RNA silencing complexes
1Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3500, USA. erik@northwestern.edu
Abstract:
In the RNA-interference pathway, double-stranded RNA induces sequence-specific mRNA degradation through the action of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). Recent work has provided our first glimpses of the RISC-assembly pathway and uncovered the biochemical roles of critical RISC components. These advances have taken our mechanistic understanding of RNA interference to a new level and promise to improve our ability to exploit this biological process for use in experimental biology and medicine.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Ribosomal RNA Synthesis
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
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...
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...
Experimental RNAi
Types of RNA
RNA Performs Diverse...

