Silencing gene expression by RNA interference (RNAi) has become a daily activity for mammalian cell biologists. Those who often use this approach have come to appreciate its occasional frustrations and potential limitations. A pair of recent papers in Cell provides rules for designing short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that are both validated at the practical level and understood mechanistically.
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Computational models with thermodynamic and composition features improve siRNA design
BMC Bioinformatics Open Access 12 February 2006
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Silva, J., Sachidanandam, R. & Hannon, G. Free energy lights the path toward more effective RNAi. Nat Genet 35, 303–305 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1203-303
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1203-303
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