植物小分子RNA整合分析软件psRobot开发完成

植物小分子RNA,主要包括microRNA和小干扰RNA,在基因的转录和转录后调控过程中具有重要作用。第二代测序技术的逐渐成熟和广泛应用极大地推动了小分子RNA相关研究的发展,对不同组织和材料中的小分子RNA进行深度测序已成为研究小分子RNA的常规手段。因此,针对这些数据的生物信息学分析成为了研究者们面临的日益突出     

一种简捷提取植物总RNA的准备和操作方法

提取RNA是分子生物学实验中的常用技术。而RNA酶抑制程度成为提取RNA的主要决定因素。准备和操作不当造成的RNA酶污染是实验失败的重要原因。介绍一种简捷的“烧、烤”提取植物总RNA的准备和操作方法,可以有效地抑制外源RNA酶的污染,提取的RNA成功率很高。     

RNA干扰技术在果蝇中的应用

RNA干扰是双链RNA特异诱导的转录后期基因沉默.该技术随着不断完善而越来越被广泛地运用于果蝇的功能基因组研究上,双链RNA已经成为果蝇中功能基因的一个十分有效的抑制子,势必使RNA干扰技术成为研究果蝇体内基因功能的强有力的反向遗传学研究技术.     

外泌体在小RNA基因治疗中的研究进展

小RNA,包括小干扰RNA以及微小RNA,已成为多种疾病的潜在治疗药物。目前,小RNA的运输载体主要是病毒或者合成试剂。然而这类载体往往毒性高且特异性低。外泌体是由内源细胞分泌出来的天然纳米材料,本身能够穿越生物膜并在细胞间传递小RNA。以外泌体为基础的小RNA递送作为一种新的转运方式,能够克服低效率,低特异性以及免疫反应等缺陷,有望成为新型载体。本文简要论述了以外泌体为载体的小RNA递送系统在临床治疗研究中的前沿进展。     

microRNA作为传染性疾病标志物的研究进展

传染性疾病往往具有较大的传染性,易于大面积流行,且难以控制,严重危害人们生命健康,快速准确的筛查成为预防及控制其传播的重要手段之一。Micro RNA(mi RNA)是一类长度仅有约22nt的非编码单链微小RNA,广泛存在于动植物真核细胞中,主要通过与靶m RNA分子的3'端非编码区域(3'-untranslated region,3'UTR)完全或不完全互补配对,调控该m RNA分子的表达或转录后翻译;在细胞生长、发育、凋亡,肿瘤形成,病毒感染等多种生理病理过程中起重要作用。在病毒感染时,mi RNA调控病毒与宿主之间的相互作用,影响病毒感染的进程与结局;感兴趣的是,mi RNA其自身的表达对病毒感染具有一定的特异性。因此,mi RNA有望成为筛查病毒传染性疾病的临床标志物,目前已成为一热点研究领域。本文主要从循环体液中mi RNA的稳定性,mi RNA在病毒感染中的特异性表达,以及mi RNA检测技术方面做简要综述,并对mi RNA作为传染病一种新型检测标志物的可行性进行了初步的分析。     

环状RNA: 新型生物标记物与治疗靶点

环状RNA(circular RNAs,circ RNAs)是一类在真核细胞中广泛存在的非编码RNA,具有结构稳定、丰度高及细胞或组织特异性表达等特征,可能通过多种作用方式参与基因表达调控.例如,有些circ RNA富含微小RNA(mi RNAs)结合位点,可充当竞争性内源RNA(ce RNA)结合mi RNA并阻断其对靶基因表达的抑制作用.自2013年以来,circ RNA逐渐成为RNA领域的研究热点并得到广泛关注.最新研究表明,circ RNA的表达及作用与多种疾病的发生发展、生物组织发育及细胞衰老等相关.circ RNA在不同生物样本中的表达差异使其可能成为用于疾病诊断、组织发育鉴定等方面理想的生物标记物,其在疾病中作用方式的逐步阐明,使之具有成为有效治疗靶点的潜力.circ RNA数据库的构建、预测工具的开发及对其作用方式的更深入研究,必将使之具有更广阔的应用前景.     

活细胞内RNA标记和成像技术

RNA根据其定位、结构、修饰以及与其他生物分子的动态相互作用,复杂而精确地执行丰富多彩的功能。RNA-蛋白质相互作用和RNA在细胞内定位的异常与多种疾病的发生发展密切相关。活细胞RNA标记和成像技术已成为研究RNA定位和运动、基因转录调控及RNA-蛋白质相互作用等生物学过程的有力工具。活细胞RNA标记和成像技术的开发已成为国际科学研究领域的热点。将目前存在的活细胞内RNA标记和成像技术方面的研究进展进行概述。     

RNA干涉在基因治疗中的应用

RNA干涉(RNA interference,RNAi)是一种可以在细胞内抑制特定基因表达的现象.它由双链RNA产生,可以特异性地降解具有相同或者相似序列的RNA（包括mRNA）.它是一种比反义技术更为有效的方法,具有更高的特异性,逐渐成为研究者关注的焦点.人们已经开始探讨使RNA干涉成为一种比反义药物更为有效药物的可能性及其具体的实施方案, 但是也发现它在成为一种安全有效治疗手段之前还有很长的一段路要走.将从RNA干涉的基本理论入手,分析目前这项技术在治疗研究中的应用以及可能遇到的一些问题.     

RNA二级结构数据库

RNA分子众多、结构复杂、功能重要,已经成为当前重要的研究热点之一。RNA的功能与结构密切相关,伴随RNA分子及功能的发现,建立了有关RNA二级结构的数据库,一方面有助于理解RNA功能的结构基础,一方面有助于开发各种有关RNA结构的预测模型。本文对近年常见的RNA二级结构数据库作一概述,希望有助于相关工作者更好地了解与应用相关数据。     

RNA二级结构数据库北大核心CSCD

RNA分子众多、结构复杂、功能重要,已经成为当前重要的研究热点之一。RNA的功能与结构密切相关,伴随RNA分子及功能的发现,建立了有关RNA二级结构的数据库,一方面有助于理解RNA功能的结构基础,一方面有助于开发各种有关RNA结构的预测模型。本文对近年常见的RNA二级结构数据库作一概述,希望有助于相关工作者更好地了解与应用相关数据。     

RNA干扰的研究进展

RNA干扰是指外源双链RNA进入细胞后引起与其同源的mRNA特异性降解的现象,它是真核生物在长期进化中形成的一种保守的防御机制,对真核生物有着重要的意义,它参与真核生物抵御病毒侵染、阻断转座子的异常活动,调控基因表达。RNA干扰已成为一种进行基因功能分析的强有力的工具,并有望成为最有潜力的基因干预治疗方法。     

Biochemical mechanisms of suppression of RNA interference by plant viruses

RNA interference (RNAi) plays an important biological role in regulation of gene expression of eukaryotes. In addition, RNAi was shown to be an adaptive protective molecular immune mechanism against viral diseases. Antiviral RNAi initiates from generation of short interfering RNAs used in the subsequent recognition and degradation of the viral RNA molecules. As a response to protective reaction of plants, most of the viruses encode specific proteins able to counteract RNAi. This process is known as RNAi suppression. Viral suppressors act on various stages of RNAi and have biochemical properties that enable viruses to effectively counteract the protective system of plants. Modern molecular and biochemical investigations of a number of viral suppressors have significantly expanded our understanding of the complexity of the nature of RNAi suppression as well as mechanisms of interaction between viruses and plants.     

RNA interference in human cells is restricted to the cytoplasm

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic adaptive response that leads to the specific degradation of target mRNA species in response to cellular exposure to homologous double-stranded RNA molecules. Here, we have analyzed the subcellular location at which RNA degradation occurs in human cells exposed to double-stranded short interfering RNAs. To unequivocally determine whether a given mRNA is subject to degradation in the cytoplasm, the nucleus, or both, we have used the retroviral Rev/RRE system to control whether target mRNAs remain sequestered in the nucleus or are exported to the cytoplasm. In the absence of export, we found that the nuclear level of the RRE-containing target mRNA was not affected by activation of RNAi. In contrast, when nuclear export was induced by expression of Rev, cytoplasmic target mRNAs were effectively and specifically degraded by RNAi. Curiously, when the target mRNA molecule was undergoing active export from the nucleus, induction of RNAi also resulted in a reproducible approximately twofold drop in the level of target mRNA present In the nuclear RNA fraction. As this same mRNA was entirely resistant to RNAi when sequestered in the nucleus, this result suggests that RNAi is able to induce degradation of target mRNAs not only in the cytoplasm but also during the process of nuclear mRNA export. Truly nucleoplasmic mRNAs or pre-mRNAs are, in contrast, resistant to RNAi.     

The interplay between virus infection and the cellular RNA interference machinery

RNA interference (RNAi) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of gene expression to control cell development and differentiation. In plants, insects and nematodes RNAi also functions as an innate defence response against viruses. Similarly, there is accumulating evidence that RNAi functions as an antiviral defence mechanism in mammalian cells. Viruses have evolved highly sophisticated mechanisms for interacting with the host cell machinery, and recent evidence indicates that this also involves RNAi pathways. The cellular RNAi machinery can inhibit virus replication, but viruses may also exploit the RNAi machinery for their own replication. In addition, viruses can encode proteins or RNA molecules that suppress existing RNAi pathways or trigger the silencing of specific host genes. Besides the natural interplay between RNAi and viruses, induced RNAi provides an attractive therapy approach for the fight against human pathogenic viruses. Here, we summarize the latest news on virus-RNAi interactions and RNAi based antiviral therapy.     

Larval RNAi in Drosophila?

RNA interference (RNAi) has become a common method of gene knockdown in many model systems. To trigger an RNAi response, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) must enter the cell. In some organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans, cells can take up dsRNA from the extracellular environment via a cellular uptake mechanism termed systemic RNAi. However, in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, it is widely believed that cells are unable to take up dsRNA, although there is little published data to support this claim. In this study, we set out to determine whether this perception has a factual basis. We took advantage of traditional Gal4/upstream activation sequence (UAS) transgenic flies as well as the mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker (MARCM) system to show that extracellular injection of dsRNA into Drosophila larvae cannot trigger RNAi in most Drosophila tissues (with the exception of hemocytes). Our results show that this is not due to a lack of RNAi machinery in these tissues as overexpression of dsRNA inside the cells using hairpin RNAs efficiently induces an RNAi response in the same tissues. These results suggest that, while most Drosophila tissues indeed lack the ability to uptake dsRNA from the surrounding environment, hemocytes can initiate RNAi in response to extracellular dsRNA. We also examined another insect, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, which has been shown to exhibit a robust systemic RNAi response. We show that virtually all Tribolium tissues can respond to extracellular dsRNA, which is strikingly different from the situation in Drosophila. Our data provide specific information about the tissues amenable to RNAi in two different insects, which may help us understand the molecular basis of systemic RNAi.     

Inactivation of the type I interferon pathway reveals long double‐stranded RNA‐mediated RNA interference in mammalian cells

RNA interference (RNAi) elicited by long double‐stranded (ds) or base‐paired viral RNA constitutes the major mechanism of antiviral defence in plants and invertebrates. In contrast, it is controversial whether it acts in chordates. Rather, in vertebrates, viral RNAs induce a distinct defence system known as the interferon (IFN) response. Here, we tested the possibility that the IFN response masks or inhibits antiviral RNAi in mammalian cells. Consistent with that notion, we find that sequence‐specific gene silencing can be triggered by long dsRNAs in differentiated mouse cells rendered deficient in components of the IFN pathway. This unveiled response is dependent on the canonical RNAi machinery and is lost upon treatment of IFN‐responsive cells with type I IFN. Notably, transfection with long dsRNA specifically vaccinates IFN‐deficient cells against infection with viruses bearing a homologous sequence. Thus, our data reveal that RNAi constitutes an ancient antiviral strategy conserved from plants to mammals that precedes but has not been superseded by vertebrate evolution of the IFN system.     

A dsRNA-binding protein of a complex invertebrate DNA virus suppresses the Drosophila RNAi response

Invertebrate RNA viruses are targets of the host RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, which limits virus infection by degrading viral RNA substrates. Several insect RNA viruses encode suppressor proteins to counteract this antiviral response. We recently demonstrated that the dsDNA virus Invertebrate iridescent virus 6 (IIV-6) induces an RNAi response in Drosophila. Here, we show that RNAi is suppressed in IIV-6-infected cells and we mapped RNAi suppressor activity to the viral protein 340R. Using biochemical assays, we reveal that 340R binds long dsRNA and prevents Dicer-2-mediated processing of long dsRNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We demonstrate that 340R additionally binds siRNAs and inhibits siRNA loading into the RNA-induced silencing complex. Finally, we show that 340R is able to rescue a Flock House virus replicon that lacks its viral suppressor of RNAi. Together, our findings indicate that, in analogy to RNA viruses, DNA viruses antagonize the antiviral RNAi response.     

Transgenic RNAi in mouse oocytes: The first decade

RNA interference (RNAi), a sequence-specific mRNA degradation induced by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), is a common approach employed to specifically silence genes. Experimental RNAi in plant and invertebrate models is frequently induced by long dsRNA. However, in mammals, short RNA molecules are used preferentially since long dsRNA can provoke sequence-independent type I interferon response. A notable exception are mammalian oocytes where the interferon response is suppressed and long dsRNA is a potent and specific trigger of RNAi. Transgenic RNAi is an adaptation of RNAi allowing for inducing sequence-specific silencing upon expression of dsRNA. A decade ago, we have developed a vector for oocyte-specific expression of dsRNA, which has been used to study gene function in mouse oocytes on numerous occasions. This review provides an overview and discusses benefits and drawbacks encountered by us and our colleagues while working with the oocytes-specific transgenic RNAi system.