Knocking down transport: applications of RNA interference in the study of drug transport proteins.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing process mediated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). The silencing process is comprised of an initiation step, in which small interfering RNA (siRNA) is introduced to the cell, and an effector step, which involves degrading mRNA molecules of the target gene. RNA interference has been observed in most organisms from plants to vertebrates. As a gene silencing approach, RNAi has proven to be extremely useful in characterizing gene function and developing new tools in cancer therapy and drug delivery. The development of RNAi-related technologies is an emerging area in biomedical research. In this review, recent progress in the application of RNAi to the study of transport proteins is summarized and evaluated; the advantages, disadvantages and future directions of RNAi technology are discussed.
Tian
Xianbin
X
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7360, USA.
Zhang
Peijin
P
Zamek-Gliszczynski
Maciej J
MJ
Brouwer
Kim L R
KL
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering