title: Transkingdom RNA interference (tkRNAi): a novel method to induce therapeutic gene silencing.
abstract: RNA interference is a phenomenon in which specific, endogenous genes are silenced by mRNA degradation. This technology is highly regarded as a potential therapeutic due to its high efficacy and low toxicity. However, the difficulty of delivering RNAi to target cells has impeded the development of RNAi-based therapies. One method to overcome this barrier is the use of a nonpathogenic bacteria vector, Escherichia coli, to deliver RNAi to target cells with high efficacy. In transkingdom interference RNAi (tkRNAi) delivery, E. coli were engineered to transcribe short RNA (shRNA) from a plasmid (TRIP) containing the invasin gene Inv and the listeriolysin O gene Hly. tkRNAi is successful in eliciting efficient gene silencing in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Gl Cancer Laboratory, Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Thu A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Johannes H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fruehauf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics