Randall Glenn, Rice Charles M
Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 64, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Virus Res. 2004 Jun 1;102(1):19-25. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2004.01.011.
The emergence of RNA interference (RNAi) as a powerful tool for silencing gene expression has spurred considerable interest in its experimental and therapeutic potential. RNAi is a cellular process of gene silencing in which small duplexes of RNA specifically target a homologous sequence for cleavage by cellular ribonucleases. The introduction of 21-23 nucleotide RNA duplexes, termed small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), into mammalian cells can specifically degrade homologous mRNAs. RNAi efficiently silences the expression of both cellular and viral RNAs. A number of groups have demonstrated that siRNAs interfere with hepatitis C virus (HCV) gene expression and replication. Additionally, cellular genes are efficiently silenced in the presence of replicating HCV. These studies lay the foundation for using RNAi as an experimental tool for studying HCV replication and defining host genes that are significant for viral replication. The potential for RNAi as an antiviral therapy remains less clear, as it will face many of the challenges that have hindered nucleic acid therapies in the past.
RNA干扰（RNAi）作为一种强大的基因表达沉默工具的出现，激发了人们对其实验和治疗潜力的浓厚兴趣。RNAi是一种细胞基因沉默过程，其中RNA小双链体特异性靶向同源序列，由细胞核糖核酸酶进行切割。将21 - 23个核苷酸的RNA双链体，即小干扰RNA（siRNA）导入哺乳动物细胞，可以特异性降解同源mRNA。RNAi能有效沉默细胞RNA和病毒RNA的表达。许多研究小组已证明，siRNA可干扰丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）的基因表达和复制。此外，在复制的HCV存在的情况下，细胞基因也能被有效沉默。这些研究为将RNAi用作研究HCV复制以及确定对病毒复制至关重要的宿主基因的实验工具奠定了基础。RNAi作为一种抗病毒疗法的潜力仍不太明确，因为它将面临过去阻碍核酸疗法的许多挑战。
