RNA interference

RNA interference — RNAi for short — might provide a way to silence disease-associated genes, but problems of delivery have hampered progress. Those problems may have been solved, at least in animal studies.

The term RNAi — short for RNA interference — crops up again and again in biology research these days. This is in part because of its power as a laboratory tool, and in part because it is a widespread natural phenomenon.

Genetic screens are powerful tools for identifying the genes involved in specific biological processes. At last, RNA interference makes large-scale screens possible in mammalian cells.

A form of gene regulation that uses small RNA molecules to bind to longer RNAs was first described over a decade ago, but was thought to be of little significance in controlling cellular processes. No longer.

Our cells have a built-in mechanism for 'silencing' genes, called RNA interference. This capability has now been exploited to protect cells in culture dishes from HIV-1 and poliovirus.