title: The Making of an siRNA.
abstract: An array of gene silencing pathways share a common early step: Dicer cleaves double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into approximately 20-25 nucleotide fragments that direct the silencing machinery to specific targets. A recent report in Cell reveals how Dicer's two RNase III domains collaborate during dsRNA processing and sets the stage for a deeper understanding of Dicer's roles in later phases of silencing complex assembly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Erik J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sontheimer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D034743:RNA-Induced Silencing Complex; D043244:Ribonuclease III