Kang Seokyoung, Hong Young S
Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
Korean J Parasitol. 2008 Mar;46(1):1-15. doi: 10.3347/kjp.2008.46.1.1.
Introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into some cells or organisms results in degradation of its homologous mRNA, a process called RNA interference (RNAi). The dsRNAs are processed into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that subsequently bind to the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), causing degradation of target mRNAs. Because of this sequence-specific ability to silence target genes, RNAi has been extensively used to study gene functions and has the potential to control disease pathogens or vectors. With this promise of RNAi to control pathogens and vectors, this paper reviews the current status of RNAi in protozoans, animal parasitic helminths and disease-transmitting vectors, such as insects. Many pathogens and vectors cause severe parasitic diseases in tropical regions and it is difficult to control once the host has been invaded. Intracellularly, RNAi can be highly effective in impeding parasitic development and proliferation within the host. To fully realize its potential as a means to control tropical diseases, appropriate delivery methods for RNAi should be developed, and possible off-target effects should be minimized for specific gene suppression. RNAi can also be utilized to reduce vector competence to interfere with disease transmission, as genes critical for pathogenesis of tropical diseases are knockdowned via RNAi.
将双链RNA（dsRNA）导入某些细胞或生物体中会导致其同源mRNA降解，这一过程称为RNA干扰（RNAi）。dsRNA被加工成小干扰RNA（siRNA），随后与RNA诱导沉默复合体（RISC）结合，导致靶mRNA降解。由于这种序列特异性的沉默靶基因的能力，RNAi已被广泛用于研究基因功能，并具有控制疾病病原体或载体的潜力。鉴于RNAi在控制病原体和载体方面的前景，本文综述了RNAi在原生动物、动物寄生蠕虫以及诸如昆虫等疾病传播载体中的研究现状。许多病原体和载体在热带地区引发严重的寄生虫病，一旦宿主被感染，就很难控制。在细胞内，RNAi在阻碍寄生虫在宿主体内的发育和增殖方面可能非常有效。为了充分发挥其作为控制热带疾病手段的潜力，应开发合适的RNAi递送方法，并将特定基因抑制时可能产生的脱靶效应降至最低。RNAi还可用于降低载体传播疾病的能力，因为通过RNAi可敲低热带疾病发病机制中关键的基因。
