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Experimental RNAi

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...

RNA Interference

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
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...

RNA Interference

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
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...

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...

Cell Signaling in Plants

Cell Signaling in Plants

Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

Published on: December 28, 2016

The function of RNAi in plant development.

R S Poethig¹, A Peragine, M Yoshikawa

¹Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6018, USA.

Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology

|March 27, 2007

Summary

Posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA interference (RNAi) are crucial for plant development. RNAi regulates gene expression via small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), impacting key developmental factors.

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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

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mRNA Interactome Capture from Plant Protoplasts

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RNA Blot Analysis for the Detection and Quantification of Plant MicroRNAs

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Published on: July 11, 2020

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Genetics
Developmental Biology

Background:

Posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA interference (RNAi) are essential regulatory pathways in eukaryotes.
Mutations affecting PTGS/RNAi in Arabidopsis lead to observable developmental defects, highlighting the process's significance.
RNAi plays a role in gene regulation through the biogenesis of trans-acting small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of RNA interference (RNAi) in plant development.
To understand how RNAi, specifically through trans-acting siRNAs (tasiRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), regulates gene expression.
To identify developmentally important transcription factors controlled by these silencing mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Analysis of morphological phenotypes in Arabidopsis mutants deficient in PTGS/RNAi genes.
Characterization of siRNA biogenesis pathways.
Identification of target transcripts regulated by miRNAs and transitive silencing.
Examination of transcription factors affected by these regulatory pathways.

Main Results:

Mutations in PTGS/RNAi genes cause significant morphological abnormalities in Arabidopsis.
RNAi is confirmed to be a key regulator of gene expression via siRNA biogenesis.
miRNAs are involved in both direct silencing of protein-coding transcripts and transitive silencing pathways.
Several transcription factors crucial for development were found to be regulated by these RNA-mediated silencing mechanisms.

Conclusions:

RNA interference is indispensable for normal Arabidopsis development.
The biogenesis and action of siRNAs and miRNAs are critical components of gene regulatory networks.
These silencing pathways provide a layer of control over the expression of developmentally important transcription factors.