Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells

SM Elbashir, J Harborth, W Lendeckel, A Yalcin… - nature, 2001 - nature.com
SM Elbashir, J Harborth, W Lendeckel, A Yalcin, K Weber, T Tuschl
nature, 2001nature.com
RNA interference (RNAi) is the process of sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene
silencing in animals and plants, initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is
homologous in sequence to the silenced gene,,,. The mediators of sequence-specific
messenger RNA degradation are 21-and 22-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)
generated by ribonuclease III cleavage from longer dsRNAs,,,,. Here we show that 21-
nucleotide siRNA duplexes specifically suppress expression of endogenous and …
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is the process of sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing in animals and plants, initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is homologous in sequence to the silenced gene,,,. The mediators of sequence-specific messenger RNA degradation are 21- and 22-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated by ribonuclease III cleavage from longer dsRNAs,,,,. Here we show that 21-nucleotide siRNA duplexes specifically suppress expression of endogenous and heterologous genes in different mammalian cell lines, including human embryonic kidney (293) and HeLa cells. Therefore, 21-nucleotide siRNA duplexes provide a new tool for studying gene function in mammalian cells and may eventually be used as gene-specific therapeutics.
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