Initially observed in plants and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and subsequently in all major eukaryotic species, RNA interference (RNAi) has been recognized as a post-translational mechanism for the silencing of specific genes. RNAi is instigated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules, and it exploits the base sequences of dsRNA, or rather the base sequences of the molecules derived from dsRNA, to silence genes in a sequence-specific manner.
RNAi evolved as a way to protect host genomes from parasitic nucleotide sequences, such as those arising from viral infections. But RNAi is not just a natural mechanism. It is also a contrivance, a research tool or, potentially, a therapeutic modality. The RNAi pathway provides a new framework to artificially introduce dsRNA into organisms to silence specific genes based on sequence complementarity.
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| Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed a post-exposure treatment that is effective against the Makona strain of Ebola. The treatment, which has been tested in nonhuman primates, is being evaluated for use in infected patients in Sierra Leone. It uses a sequence-specific short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to target and interfere with the Ebola virus. The siRNAs are encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles to potentiate cellular delivery. |
Source: genengnews
