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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
Published on: December 28, 2016
Molecular mechanisms of RNAi: implications for development and disease
Meenakshi Rao1, Shanthini Sockanathan
1Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Abstract:
Research over the past few years has led to dramatic new discoveries on the role of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in the cell. RNA duplexes have been shown to orchestrate epigenetic changes, repress translation, and direct mRNA degradation in a sequence-specific manner. These diverse effects of dsRNA on gene expression have been termed RNA interference (RNAi). In addition to playing a role in viral defense and silencing transposons, RNAi also has a critical function in a number of developmental processes in the embryo. In this review, we explore these roles and discuss the molecular mechanisms behind dsRNA-mediated gene silencing. Further, we address the use of RNAi as a tool to study gene function in biology, and as a strategy for treating human disease.
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