RNA interference (RNAi) is the process by which the translation of a protein is prevented by selective degradation of its encoded mRNA.
In nature, this mechanism likely evolved for cells to eliminate unwanted foreign genes as a defense against viruses.
In research, this technique is used for loss-of-function studies.
RNAi has had a significant impact on the ease, speed, and specificity with which the loss of gene function analysis can be done in mammalian cells and animal models.
RNAi technology has the ability to validate target genes and functionally assess relevant disease genes.
Thus leading to the development of effective therapeutics.
The discovery of RNA interference by Craig Mello and Andrew Fire earned them the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, highlighting the importance of this technology on the future of disease research and drug development.
Recommended Resources:
-
Due to the proliferation of tools to help accomplish gene editing and gene modulation experiments,
it’s more important than ever to make sure RNA-based operations are well planned and conducted with a streamlined workflow.
-
For the last decade, RNAi has been the go-to method for performing a functional genomic screen—but this may change with the recent debut of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
This article aims to compare RNAi with CRISPR-Cas9 and discuss its use as a functional genomic screening tool.
Selecting gene perturbation tools for your experiment
read more
Benefits, challenges, and experimental design considerations
read more
Choose the CFX Opus real-time PCR system for the reliability you depend on from Bio-Rad with improved connectivity and performance for your modern lab. The CFX Opus system is the next evolution in qPCR from Bio-Rad. With improved thermal performance ...
read more
A new version of total RNA extraction ‘miniprep’ kit, featuring upgraded spin columns precision-engineered for high performance
Purify up to 100 µg of high-quality total RNA from multiple sample types including tough-to-lyse samples with this ...
read more
This RNA cannot knock down the target gene - the protein level of the target gene was not down regulated at all (see the lane with the #3 label).
read more
The most widely employed method of achieving post-transcriptional gene silencing in use today is RNA interference, or RNAi. Methodologies to carry out protein knockdown via RNAi are quite varied and, thus, amenable to a wide range of experimental...
read more