A bioinformatics method identifies prominent off-targeted transcripts in RNAi screens
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Updated: May 24, 2026

Genome-wide Screen for miRNA Targets Using the MISSION Target ID Library
Published on: April 6, 2012
Frederic D Sigoillot1, Susan Lyman, Jeremy F Huckins
1Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Because off-target effects hamper interpretation and validation of RNAi screen data, we developed a bioinformatics method, genome-wide enrichment of seed sequence matches (GESS), to identify candidate off-targeted transcripts in primary screening data. GESS analysis revealed a prominent off-targeted transcript in several screens, including MAD2 (MAD2L1) in a screen for genes required for the spindle assembly checkpoint. GESS analysis results can enhance the validation rate in RNAi screens.
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