 Silencing with siRNA
Jan 7 '08
The first thing you might notice when searching for an siRNA transfection reagent is the multiplicity and creativity in the product naming. Don’t let all those fancy names fool you– most of these kits offer the same results and services. When using siRNA, it is vital that the siRNA or expression vectors are delivered to as many cells as possible. Therefor,e the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity effects of the reagents are critical. The products listed below are all lipid-based transfection reagents, as compared to transfection using electroporation or a gene gun. Most products claim the same efficiency of transfection but often there are optimizations for various media, cell lines, and concentrations of siRNA. When researching product promises, it is important to look for the range of cell lines specified, the percent silencing rate, the amount of siRNA and reagent required, and the impact on cell health. The type of siRNA generated is also important. There are kits that specialize in delivery of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) , dsRNA, plasmid DNA, etc. Another aspect is the throughput; there are several kits that offer 24-well or 96-well plates for use in bulk transfection. If there is a company or type of product that has worked well in the past on your cell line for transfection of plasmid DNA, I would definitely try that suite of siRNA reagents first. And for something this important to an experiment, I would not let cost be a factor in choosing the right reagent. Find a couple of products that meet your needs for cell type, media, type of siRNA, and ease of use and possibly even check out the references – THEN feel free to choose the one with the name you like best.
Elizabeth Hawkes
Research Associate
University of California, San Francisco
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