A new way to silence gene expression has been devised. It differs from two common methods — antisense and RNA interference (RNAi) — in that it uses short synthetic nucleic-acid molecules known as U1 Adaptors that work inside the nucleus.
These tether another molecule called U1 snRNP splicing factor to messenger RNA molecules that have just been made. The splicing factor inhibits the processing necessary for messenger RNAs to move to a ribosome, where the genetic information they carry would be translated into proteins.
Sam Gunderson of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, and his colleagues created U1 Adaptors that halved gene expression when added to cells at sub-nanomolar concentrations — a level of activity on a par with RNAi. Combining U1 Adaptors and RNAi further reduced gene expression.
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Molecular biology: Adaptation. Nature 457, 1060 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/4571060c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4571060c
