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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Analysis of RNA Processing Reactions Using Cell Free Systems: 3' End Cleavage of Pre-mRNA Substrates in vitro
Published on: May 3, 2014
mRNA translation is not a prerequisite for small interfering RNA-mediated mRNA cleavage
George L Sen1, Tom S Wehrman, Helen M Blau
1Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Abstract:
RNA interference constitutes a major means of eliminating mRNAs, yet how the small interfering RNAs (siRNA) within the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) finds its homologous target in the cell remains unknown. An attractive hypothesis is that RNA interference is linked to translation which allows RISC ready access to every translated mRNA. To test whether translation could direct siRNAs to mRNAs, chemical and biological inhibitors of translation and their effects on mRNA cleavage were tested. Our results show that mRNA degradation by siRNAs is not dependent on mRNA translation.
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