Cheema Sangeeta K, Chen Ellen, Shea Lonnie D, Mathur Anshu B
Department of Plastic Surgery, and Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77230-1402, USA.
Wound Repair Regen. 2007 May-Jun;15(3):286-95. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-475X.2007.00228.x.
RNA intereference and short-interfering RNA (siRNA) have been proven to be effective at decreasing the expression of target genes and provide a valuable tool for promoting and directing the growth of functional tissues for repair and reconstructive tissue engineering applications. siRNA is a gene-silencing mechanism that involves double-stranded RNA-mediated sequence-specific mRNA degradation and is a powerful mechanism for controlling cell behavior. The use of siRNA to reduce the expression of a target gene can induce the expression of one or more tissue-inductive factors, direct the differentiation of stem or progenitor cells, or remove a factor that inhibits regeneration, which can be useful in fundamental studies of tissue formation or in applications to promote in vivo regeneration. The potential of siRNA is illustrated through specific examples within the fields of angiogenesis, bone and nerve regeneration, and wound healing. In addition, challenges to deliver siRNA effectively for tissue engineering applications are addressed. siRNA represents a powerful tool to investigate and/or promote tissue formation, and numerous opportunities exist for identifying targets that promote regeneration of tissue and developing effective delivery systems.
RNA干扰和小干扰RNA（siRNA）已被证明在降低靶基因表达方面有效，并为促进和引导功能性组织生长以用于修复和重建组织工程应用提供了一种有价值的工具。siRNA是一种基因沉默机制，涉及双链RNA介导的序列特异性mRNA降解，是控制细胞行为的强大机制。使用siRNA降低靶基因的表达可以诱导一种或多种组织诱导因子的表达，指导干细胞或祖细胞的分化，或去除抑制再生的因子，这在组织形成的基础研究或促进体内再生的应用中可能是有用的。通过血管生成、骨和神经再生以及伤口愈合领域的具体例子来说明siRNA的潜力。此外，还讨论了在组织工程应用中有效递送siRNA所面临的挑战。siRNA是研究和/或促进组织形成的强大工具，在识别促进组织再生的靶点和开发有效的递送系统方面存在许多机会。
