Expressed dsRNA provokes selective sequence-independent PKR response in transient co-transfection experiments
In mammals, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) plays roles in sequence-specific RNA interference, sequence-independent interferon response, and RNA editing by adenosine deaminases. We have previously shown that long hairpin dsRNA expression in cultured cells does not activate the interferon response, it is poorly processed into siRNAs, and it is partially edited. Here, we demonstrate that dsRNA expressed from transiently transfected plasmids strongly inhibits expression of co-transfected reporter plasmids but not expression of endogenous genes or reporters stably integrated in the genome. The inhibition is concentration-dependent and independent of a cell type, transfection method, or dsRNA sequence. The inhibition occurs at the level of translation and is mediated by protein kinase R (PKR). PKR binds the expressed dsRNA, becomes phosphorylated and changes its distribution along polysome fractions. In conclusion, we demonstrate that expression from plasmids is selectively repressed if one of co transfected plasmids produces dsRNA. Our results highlight the importance of proper controls and careful interpretation of co-transfection experiments. Overall design: HEK293 cells (human origin) were transiently transfected with hairpin dsRNA-expressing (MosIR) and control (pCag) plasmids.