Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Bacterial Delivery of RNAi Effectors: Transkingdom RNAi
07:56

Bacterial Delivery of RNAi Effectors: Transkingdom RNAi

Published on: August 18, 2010

13.9K

DISE: A Seed-Dependent RNAi Off-Target Effect That Kills Cancer Cells

William Putzbach1, Quan Q Gao1, Monal Patel1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division Hematology/Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

Trends in Cancer
|February 8, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Off-target effects (OTEs) in RNA interference (RNAi) can arise from unintended mRNA targeting. A newly discussed type, death induced by survival gene elimination (DISE), may selectively impact cancer cells.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful gene silencing tool.
  • Off-target effects (OTEs) are a major limitation of RNAi therapies.
  • siRNA complementarity to unintended mRNAs causes OTEs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss three types of seed-dependent OTEs (sOTEs).
  • To introduce death induced by survival gene elimination (DISE) as a specific sOTE.
  • To explore the potential of DISE in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on RNAi and OTEs.
  • Classification of sOTEs based on siRNA strand and seed activity.
  • Analysis of the mechanism of DISE.

Main Results:

  • Identified three types of sOTEs: guide strand (Type I), passenger strand (Type II), and survival gene targeting (Type III).
  • Type I and II sOTEs lead to unpredictable cellular responses.
  • Type III sOTE, or DISE, results from essential survival gene targeting.

Conclusions:

  • DISE is a distinct consequence of RNAi with potential therapeutic implications.
  • DISE may preferentially affect cancer cells due to their reliance on specific survival pathways.
  • Further research into DISE could lead to more targeted RNAi strategies.
Keywords:
DISEFasOTERNAicancercell death

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Antibody-Based Cancer Treatments via Antibody-Dependent, Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Assay05:21

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Antibody-Based Cancer Treatments via Antibody-Dependent, Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Assay

Published on: September 13, 2024

923
Antigen Specific In Vivo Killing Assay using CFSE Labeled Target Cells09:49

Antigen Specific In Vivo Killing Assay using CFSE Labeled Target Cells

Published on: November 9, 2010

20.2K

Related Concept Videos

Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
9.0K
Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte02:33

Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte

Seed structures are composed of a protective seed coat surrounding a plant embryo, and a food store for the developing embryo. The embryo contains the precursor tissues for leaves, stem, and roots. The endosperm and cotyledons—seed leaves—act as the food reserves for the growing embryo.
31.3K
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...
7.8K
Introduction to Seed Plants03:40

Introduction to Seed Plants

Most plants are seed plants—characterized by seeds, pollen, and reduced gametophytes. Seed plants include gymnosperms and angiosperms.
68.5K
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
24.2K
Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
47.7K