Recent advances in small interfering RNA sensing by the immune system

Mouldy Sioud1

  • 1Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Immunology, Molecular Medicine Group, Montebello, Oslo, Norway. mosioud@ulrik.uio.no

New Biotechnology
|March 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary

This review examines how the immune system detects small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which are used to silence specific genes. While siRNAs are powerful tools for medicine, they can accidentally trigger immune responses or interfere with natural cellular processes. The authors summarize current knowledge on the receptors responsible for detecting these molecules and discuss methods to distinguish therapeutic gene silencing from these unintended immune reactions.

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