title: Macrolide- and tetracycline-adjustable siRNA-mediated gene silencing in mammalian cells using polymerase II-dependent promoter derivatives.
abstract: RNA interference has emerged as a powerful technology for downregulation of specific genes in cells and animals. We have pioneered macrolide- and tetracycline-adjustable short interfering RNA (siRNA) expression for conditional target gene translation fine-tuning in mammalian/human cell lines based on modified RNA polymerase II promoters. Established macrolide- and tetracycline-dependent transactivators/trans-silencers bound and activated modified target promoters tailored for optimal siRNA expression in response to clinical antibiotics' dosing regimes and modulated desired target genes in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) and human fibrosarcoma (HT-1080) cells with high precision. Further optimization of adjustable RNA polymerase II-based siRNA-specific promoters as well as their combination with various transmodulators enabled near-perfect regulation configurations in specific cell types. Devoid of major genetic constraints compared to basic RNA polymerase III-based siRNA-specific promoters, we expect RNA polymerase II counterparts to significantly advance siRNA-based molecular interventions in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and gene-function analysis as well as gene therapy and tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Hönggerberg, HPT D74, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Laetitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Malphettes
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fussenegger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism*; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018942:Macrolides; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D013752:Tetracycline