Antiviral applications of RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism by which small interfering RNA (siRNA) operates to specifically and potently downregulate the expression of a target gene. This downregulation has been thought to predominantly function at the level of mRNA, as post-transcriptional gene silencing. The discovery that siRNAs can suppress gene expression at the level of transcription, that is, transcriptional gene silencing, has created a major paradigm shift in mammalian RNAi. These findings significantly broaden the role that RNA, specifically siRNA and potentially microRNA, plays in the regulation of gene expression, as well as the breadth of potential siRNA target sites. Indeed, the specificity and simplicity of design makes the use of siRNAs to target and suppress virtually any gene of interest a realized technology. Furthermore, since siRNAs are small nucleic acid reagents, they are unlikely to elicit an immune response, theoretically making them good therapeutics. The development, delivery and potential therapeutic use of antiviral siRNAs in treating viral infections and emerging viral threats are reviewed.