Campbell Tessa N, Choy Francis Y M
Dept of Biology, Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, BC V8W 3N5 Canada.
Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2005 Jan;7(1):1-6.
RNA interference (RNAi) is the sequence-specific gene silencing induced by double-stranded RNA. RNAi is mediated by 21-23 nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) which are produced from long double-stranded RNAs by RNAse II-like enzyme Dicer. The resulting siRNAs are incorporated into a RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) that targets and cleaves mRNA complementary to the siRNAs. Since its inception in 1998, RNAi has been demonstrated in organisms ranging from trypanosomes to nematodes to vertebrates. Potential uses already in progress include the examination of specific gene function in living systems, the development of anti-viral and anti-cancer therapies, and genome-wide screens. In this review, we discuss the landmark discoveries that established the contextual framework leading up to our current understanding of RNAi. We also provide an overview of current developments and future applications.
RNA干扰（RNAi）是由双链RNA诱导的序列特异性基因沉默。RNAi由21 - 23个核苷酸的小干扰RNA（siRNA）介导，这些小干扰RNA由RNA酶II样酶Dicer从长双链RNA产生。产生的siRNA被整合到RNA诱导沉默复合体（RISC）中，该复合体靶向并切割与siRNA互补的mRNA。自1998年被发现以来，RNAi已在从锥虫到线虫再到脊椎动物等各种生物体中得到证实。目前正在进行的潜在用途包括在活体系统中研究特定基因功能、开发抗病毒和抗癌疗法以及全基因组筛选。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了那些为我们当前对RNAi的理解奠定背景框架的里程碑式发现。我们还概述了当前的进展和未来的应用。
