Varying the nucleic acid composition of siRNA molecules dramatically varies the duration and degree of gene silencing.
The utility of short interfering RNA (siRNA) as a means of gene silencing depends on several factors. These include the degree to which a gene can be silenced, the length of time for which the gene remains silenced, the degree of recovery of gene function, and the effects of the silencing process on general cell functions. We hypothesized that changing the nucleic acid composition of the siRNA constructs used for silencing would affect these parameters. With siRNA gene silencing of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene as a baseline, we found that siDNA molecules have an effect that is similar in duration but lesser in degree, whereas hybrid DNA:RNA molecules have an effect that is enormously greater in both duration and degree.
Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, PO Box 808, L-448, Livermore, CA, 94551, USA.
Janelle S
JS
Lamberton
Allen T
AT
Christian
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics*; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference / Q000502:physiology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D009696:Nucleic Acids; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase