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Related Concept Videos

Experimental RNAi02:15

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 Interference01:23

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.
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siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
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...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
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piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

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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...
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Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...

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RISC-target interaction: cleavage and translational suppression.

Arjen van den Berg1, Johann Mols, Jiahuai Han

  • 1Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

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Summary

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. This review covers their discovery, mechanisms, and role in gene silencing.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Small RNA molecules, including small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA), are endogenous regulators of gene expression.
  • These approximately 22-nucleotide RNA molecules play critical roles in various biological processes.
  • Their discovery has spurred a new field of research focused on gene regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a historical perspective on the discovery of siRNAs and miRNAs.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms of small RNA-mediated gene silencing.
  • To highlight the key molecular components and structural properties of the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC).

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific publications on small RNA biology.
  • Analysis of the structural and functional roles of key RISC components.
  • Examination of the mechanisms underlying post-transcriptional gene silencing.

Main Results:

  • Small RNAs, upon incorporation into RISC, interact with target messenger RNA (mRNA) to suppress gene expression.
  • Multiple mechanisms are involved in small RNA-guided post-transcriptional gene silencing.
  • The RISC complex is central to the function of both siRNAs and miRNAs.

Conclusions:

  • siRNAs and miRNAs are crucial regulators of gene expression through post-transcriptional silencing.
  • Understanding the RISC complex and its mechanisms is key to comprehending small RNA function.
  • This review provides a foundational overview of small RNA-mediated gene regulation.