Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
07:23
Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
Published on: May 30, 2025
1.0K
The Potential of Noncoding RNAs-siRNAs in Cancer Research and Therapy: Challenges and Solutions
Himanshu1, Mudasir Bashir2, Moien Lone3
1Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
Experientia Supplementum (2012)
|January 1, 2026
Summary
Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression, acting as natural gene silencers. This review explores siRNA biogenesis, function, and their therapeutic potential in cancer research for targeted gene silencing therapies.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) regulate gene expression and cellular activities.
- Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are ncRNAs that silence specific genes via RNA interference (RNAi).
- Dysregulated siRNAs are implicated in diseases like cancer and viral infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biogenesis and functions of siRNAs.
- To explore the role of siRNAs in cancer research.
- To discuss the therapeutic potential of siRNAs in cancer treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on siRNA biogenesis and function.
- Analysis of siRNA mechanisms in cancer.
- Evaluation of current and future therapeutic applications of siRNAs.
Main Results:
- siRNAs are 21-25 nucleotide single-stranded RNAs formed from double-stranded RNAs by DICER1.
- siRNAs function as natural gene silencers, controlling gene expression posttranscriptionally.
- siRNAs offer a promising strategy for selectively silencing oncogenes in cancer therapy.
Conclusions:
- siRNAs are crucial for cellular processes and have significant therapeutic potential.
- Challenges in siRNA therapy include delivery, off-target effects, and stability.
- Advancements in RNA technology position siRNAs as powerful tools for targeted cancer therapies and personalized medicine.
Related Concept Videos
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
9.7K
In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
9.7K
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
3.4K
3.4K
02:30siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
18.3K
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...
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...
18.3K
02:15Experimental RNAi
7.2K
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...
7.2K
01:23RNA Interference
27.7K
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...
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...
27.7K
01:22MicroRNAs
3.7K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.7K