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Functional genomics Double-stranded RNA poses puzzle

Nature volume 391, pages 744–745 (1998)Cite this article

The human genome is predicted to contain between 50,000 and 100,000 genes1. To work out what these genes do, an array of techniques is needed to evaluate the protein-protein interactions and biochemical pathways of any gene product. The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent system for such studies because of its well-understood genetics and development, evolutionary conservation to human genes, small genome size and relatively short life cycle. The 100-megabase-pair genome will be completely sequenced this year, and a total of 17,000 genes have been predicted, many with human counterparts. Approaches used to manipulate gene expression in C. elegans include transposon-mediated deletion2, antisense inhibition3 and direct isolation of deletions after mutagenesis4,5. Although these methods have proved useful, limitations still exist.

On page 806 of this issue, Fire and colleagues6 describe a remarkable and surprising technique for inhibiting gene function in C. elegans. They turned off a specific gene in progeny worms by microinjecting double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) complementary to the coding region of the gene into the gonads of adult animals. Using a well-characterized gene, unc-22, which encodes a non-essential myofilament protein, they showed that injection of dsRNA produced a phenotype characteristic of unc-22 inhibition — twitching.

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Figure 1: Possible mechanism for inhibition of gene expression in C. elegans by double-stranded RNA.

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  1. Phylos Inc., 300 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard W. Wagner & Lin Sun

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  1. Richard W. Wagner
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Wagner, R., Sun, L. Functional genomics Double-stranded RNA poses puzzle. Nature 391, 744–745 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/35750

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