RNA干涉技术(RNAi)应用研究进展

RNA干涉是通过双链RNA的介导特异性地降解相应序列的mRNA,从而导致转录后水平的基因沉默,这一过程在拟南芥、线虫和真菌等多种模式植物中发现。RNAi是研究多种生物基因功能的有效手段,本文综述了RNA干涉的分子机理及其应用研究进展。     

RNA干涉的研究进展

生物体内导入双链RNA后会引起体内同源基因特异性的沉默,这种现象称为RNA干涉,本主要介绍RNA干涉的研究历史,作用机制和应用等方面的情况。     

RNA干涉与基因沉默

双链RNA介导的遗传干涉的机制是1998年发现的,它通过双链RNA的介导特异性地降解相应序列的mRNA,从而导致转录后水平的基因沉默,到目前为止的真菌,拟南芥,线虫,锥虫,水螅,涡虫,果蝇,斑马鱼,小鼠等真核生物中都发现存在这一基因沉默机制,目前的研究表明,RNA干涉与植物中的共抑制（Cosuppression),真菌中的基因压制（quelling)很可能具有共同的基本分子机制,这也说明,很可能在进化的很早期阶段,生物就获得了这种机制,RNA干涉对于抵抗病毒入侵,抑制转座子活动等具有重要作用,对于生物体的发育和基因调控可能也有重要作用。     

RNA干涉与干细胞

RNA干涉(RNAi)现象普遍存在于生物体细胞中,在理论上已清楚其分子机制,为干细胞研究提供了新的方法。现从RNAi的分子机制、干细胞中的RNAi现象、研究干细胞RNAi效应的方法以及小分子干涉RNA(siRNA)干涉干细胞特异功能基因的检测方法等方面进行了综述。表明应用RNAi技术研究基因功能和干细胞维持及定向分化的调控具有广阔的发展前景。     

RNA干涉及其应用前景

RNA干涉是指由特定双链RNA(dsRNA)引起的转录后基因沉默现象。研究表明,Dicer断裂dsRNA产生的小干涉RNA可以抑制哺乳动物体细胞和胚胎中的基因的表达。RdRP在扩增RNAi中起着关键性的作用,RdRP活性复制较长的触发性dsRNA或以一种非引物的方式复制短的siRNA,即以siRNA为引物的RdRP反应使靶mRNA转变为dsRNA,同时复制触发性dsRNA。所有的产物又可作为Dicer的底物,起始RdRP级联反应。本文综述了RNAi可能的作用机制,并对RNAi在分析功能基因组、药物治疗等方面的应用前景进行了展望。     

双链RNA在基因沉默中的作用

介绍依赖于同源识别的基因沉默 .依赖于同源识别的基因沉默 ,是指向生物体内导入外源核酸时引起相应序列的内源基因的表达被特异性抑制的一种基因调控现象 .基因沉默分为转录基因沉默和转录后基因沉默 ,二者都通过双链RNA介导 .它们是真核生物中普遍存在的抵抗病毒入侵、抑制转座子活动、调控基因表达的监控机制 .这些机制具有巨大的应用前景 .     

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。     

RNA干扰

RNA干扰（RNA interference,RNAi）现象是指,当与内源性mRNA编码区某段序列同源的双链RNA(dsRNA)导入细胞后,该mRNA发生特异性的降解,而导致该基因表达的沉寂。这可能反映了生物防范病毒或转座子诱导DNA突变的一种防御机制。RNA干扰已经成为一种重要的研究基因功能的有力工具,并且有希望在对疾病的防御及治疗中发挥重要的作用。     

RNA干扰与基因敲除

RNAi是指通过双链RNA介导特异性降解靶mRNA,导致转录后水平基因沉默的现象。其作用途径有RdRP依赖的RNAi的途径与非RdRP依赖的RNAi途径2种。利用RNAi的基因敲除技术在dsRNA序列选择、质粒或病毒为载体的dsRNA体内合成、发夹样siRNA的转录、dsRNA的导入方法等方面取得了很大进展,在研究人类或其他生物基因组中未知基因及蛋白质的功能等领域具有诱人的应用前景。     

Dynamics of gene silencing by RNA interference

The large number of candidate genes identified by modern high-throughput technologies require efficient methods for generating knockout phenotypes or gene silencing in order to study gene function. RNA interference (RNAi) is an efficient method that can be used for this purpose. Effective gene silencing by RNAi depends on a number of important parameters, including the dynamics of gene expression and the RNA dose. Using mouse hepatoma cells, we detail some of the principal characteristics of RNAi as a tool for gene silencing, such as the RNA dose level, RNA complex exposure time, and the time of transfection relative to gene induction, in the context of silencing a green fluorescent protein reporter gene. Our experiments demonstrate that different levels of silencing can be attained by modulating the dose level of RNA and the time of transfection and illustrate the importance of a dynamic analysis in designing robust silencing protocols. By quantifying the kinetics of RNAi-based gene silencing, we present a model that may be used to help determine key parameters in more complex silencing experiments and explore alternative gene silencing protocols.     

RNA-binding proteins in RNA interference

Short RNAs (21–27 nt) silence genes that contain homologous nucleotide sequences; this is known as RNA silencing. This review considers the generation of short RNAs from their precursors: double-stranded RNAs, capable of inducing RNA interference, and hairpin RNAs, whose processing yields microRNAs, as well as the properties of RNA-binding domains that were initially identified in proteins operating in RNA interference. The interactions between these domains and known RNA-binding modules within proteins involved in RNA interference and microRNA generation are described.     

RNA interference in pain research

Within the course of only the last few years, RNA interference (RNAi) has been established as a standard technology for investigation of protein function and target validation. The present review summarizes recent progress made in the application of RNAi in neurosciences with special emphasis on pain research. RNAi is a straightforward method to generate loss-of-function phenotypes for any gene of interest. In mammals, silencing is induced by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which have been shown to surpass traditional antisense molecules. Due to its high specificity, RNAi has the potential for subtype selective silencing of even closely related genes. One of the major challenges for in vivo investigations of RNAi remains efficient delivery of siRNA molecules to the relevant tissues and cells, particularly to the central nervous system. Various examples will be given to demonstrate that intrathecal application of siRNAs is a suitable approach to analyse the function of receptors or other proteins that are hypothesized to play an important role in pain signalling. Intensive efforts are currently ongoing to solve remaining problems such as the risk of off-target effects, the stability of siRNA molecules and their efficient delivery to the CNS. RNAi has thus demonstrated that it is an extremely valuable tool for the development of new analgesic drugs.     

Moment analysis for kinetics of gene silencing by RNA interference

RNA interference (RNAi) was quantitatively evaluated from a kinetic viewpoint. A simple kinetic evaluation based on moment analysis was proposed, assuming suppression and recovery phases of gene expression. We defined the area under the curve of the inhibitory effect (AUC(IE)) as an index of the total intensity of RNAi and the mean response time of the inhibitory effect (MRT(IE)) as an index of its duration. The proposed kinetic analysis helps to understand the RNAi effect in a quantitative and time-dependent manner, which will be beneficial for designing RNAi-based gene silencing for both experimental and therapeutic purposes.     

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 is required for efficient hpRNA-induced gene silencing in plants

In plants, transgenes with inverted repeats are used to induce efficient RNA silencing, which is also frequently induced by highly transcribed sense transgenes. RNA silencing induced by sense transgenes is dependent on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6), which converts single-stranded (ss) RNA into double-stranded (ds) RNA. By contrast, it has been proposed that RNA silencing induced by self-complementary hairpin RNA (hpRNA) does not require RDR6, because the hpRNA can directly fold back on itself to form dsRNA. However, it is unclear whether RDR6 plays a role in hpRNA-induced RNA silencing by amplifying dsRNA to spread RNA silencing within the plant. To address the efficiency of hpRNA-induced RNA silencing in the presence or absence of RDR6, Wild type (WT, Col-0) and rdr6-11 Arabidopsis thaliana lines expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) were generated and transformed with a GFP-RNA interference (RNAi) construct. Whereas most GFP-RNAi-transformed WT lines exhibited almost complete silencing of GFP expression in the T1 generation, various levels of GFP expression remained among the GFP-RNAi-transformed rdr6-11 lines. Homozygous expression of GFP-RNAi in the T3 generation was not sufficient to induce complete GFP silencing in several rdr6-11 lines. Our results indicate that RDR6 is required for efficient hpRNA-induced RNA silencing in plants.