The role of RNA editing by ADARs in RNAi.
Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) are RNA-editing enzymes that deaminate adenosines to create inosines in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Here we demonstrate that ADARs are not required for RNA interference (RNAi) and that they do not antagonize the pathway to a detectable level when RNAi is initiated by injecting dsRNA. We find, however, that transgenes expressed in the somatic tissues of wild-type animals are silenced in strains with deletions in the two genes encoding ADARs, adr-1 and adr-2. Transgene-induced gene silencing in adr-1;adr-2 mutants depends on genes required for RNAi, suggesting that a dsRNA intermediate is involved. In wild-type animals we detect edited dsRNA corresponding to transgenes, and we propose that editing of this dsRNA prevents somatic transgenes from initiating RNAi in wild-type animals.
Knight
Scott W
SW
Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, 20 North 1900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
Bass
Brenda L
BL
D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005838:Genotype; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D017393:RNA Editing; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000187:drug effects; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; C489233:unc-22 protein, C elegans; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase