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. 2001 May 24;411(6836):494-8.
doi: 10.1038/35078107.

Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells

S M Elbashir  1 , J Harborth, W Lendeckel, A Yalcin, K Weber, T Tuschl
Affiliations

Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells

S M Elbashir et al. Nature. .

Abstract

RNA interference (RNAi) is the process of sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing in animals and plants, initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is homologous in sequence to the silenced gene. The mediators of sequence-specific messenger RNA degradation are 21- and 22-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated by ribonuclease III cleavage from longer dsRNAs. Here we show that 21-nucleotide siRNA duplexes specifically suppress expression of endogenous and heterologous genes in different mammalian cell lines, including human embryonic kidney (293) and HeLa cells. Therefore, 21-nucleotide siRNA duplexes provide a new tool for studying gene function in mammalian cells and may eventually be used as gene-specific therapeutics.

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Comment in

  • RNA interference. The short answer.
    Bass BL. Bass BL. Nature. 2001 May 24;411(6836):428-9. doi: 10.1038/35078175. Nature. 2001. PMID: 11373658 No abstract available.
  • Keeping genes quiet.
    David R. David R. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Oct;11(10):678-9. doi: 10.1038/nrm2988. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2010. PMID: 20861873 No abstract available.

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