BSC 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Rna Silencing, Microrna, Small Interfering Rna
4 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Rna interference (rnai) a genetic tool that allows researchers to target and destroy specific mrnas. Rnai occurs if an exogenous double stranded rna shares the same sequence as a target. Rna molecule (i. e. is complementary to a mrna) Rnai is part of a broader phenomenon called rna silencing, in which small rnas inhibit gene expression in various ways. Rna is part of a broader phenomenon called rna silencing, in which small rnas inhibit gene expression in various ways. The steps involved in rnai include: the risc complex then degrades the target mrna, resulting in a known down phenotype. Rnas: mirnas with lower complementarity (<70%) promote translation inhibition rather than rna degradation. Mirnas play key regulatory roles in development: patterning the nervous system, control cell proliferation and cell death, leaf and flower development in plants, differentiation of various cell types. Additionally, deregulation of mirna expression is associated with specific diseases, like cancer progression pirnas.
