Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Polymer Molecular Weight Influences Cancer Cell Surface Retention and Cytokine Presentation by Layer-by-Layer Nanoparticles.

ACS nano·2026

Same author

Specificity and exon target space of splicing modifying compounds.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Engineering nanoparticle surface chemistry for antigen-presenting cell targeting improves specificity and safety of TLR3 agonist cancer immunotherapy.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests in evaluating coagulopathy and transfusion requirement in ECMO patients: A retrospective study.

Perfusion·2026

Same author

Polyelectrolyte nanoparticles enable intracellular delivery of STING protein fragments for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

Materials today. Bio·2026

Same author

Expanding High-Fidelity Multiplexing in Ultrasensitive Single-Molecule Protein Detection via Proximity Barcoding.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Phage-mediated Delivery of Targeted sRNA Constructs to Knock Down Gene Expression in E. coli

Phage-mediated Delivery of Targeted sRNA Constructs to Knock Down Gene Expression in E. coli

Published on: March 20, 2016

Engineering Periodic shRNA for Enhanced Silencing Efficacy.

Connie Wu¹, Kevin E Shopsowitz¹, Paula T Hammond²

¹Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Molecular Therapy : the Journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy

|April 8, 2016

Summary

A novel open-ended short hairpin RNA (op-shRNA) platform enhances gene silencing efficacy and nanoparticle packaging for RNA interference (RNAi) therapies. This breakthrough addresses key delivery challenges for treating cancer and other diseases.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing

Published on: May 5, 2023

Pooled shRNA Library Screening to Identify Factors that Modulate a Drug Resistance Phenotype

Pooled shRNA Library Screening to Identify Factors that Modulate a Drug Resistance Phenotype

Published on: June 17, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Phage-mediated Delivery of Targeted sRNA Constructs to Knock Down Gene Expression in E. coli

Phage-mediated Delivery of Targeted sRNA Constructs to Knock Down Gene Expression in E. coli

Published on: March 20, 2016

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing

Published on: May 5, 2023

Pooled shRNA Library Screening to Identify Factors that Modulate a Drug Resistance Phenotype

Pooled shRNA Library Screening to Identify Factors that Modulate a Drug Resistance Phenotype

Published on: June 17, 2022

Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Molecular Biology
Therapeutics

Background:

RNA interference (RNAi) offers a promising therapeutic strategy for gene silencing, especially for difficult-to-treat diseases.
Clinical translation of RNAi is hindered by challenges in delivering small interfering RNA (siRNA).
Periodic short hairpin RNAs (p-shRNAs) show potential for improved stability and nanoparticle complexation.

Purpose of the Study:

To engineer an improved RNAi platform for enhanced gene silencing and delivery.
To develop an open-ended p-shRNA (op-shRNA) with superior cleavage efficiency and therapeutic potential.

Main Methods:

Structural and sequence engineering of p-shRNAs.
Selective enzymatic digestion to create op-shRNAs.
Assessment of gene silencing in cancer cell lines.
Evaluation of complexation with polycations.

Main Results:

op-shRNAs exhibit over tenfold greater cleavage efficiency compared to p-shRNAs.
op-shRNAs induce significantly enhanced gene silencing in cancer cells for up to 9 days.
The valency and flexibility of op-shRNAs improve complexation with polycations compared to siRNA.

Conclusions:

op-shRNA represents a promising RNAi platform for improved therapeutic delivery.
This platform has the potential for efficient packaging and targeted delivery to disease sites.
op-shRNA may lead to higher therapeutic efficacy in treating various diseases.