RNA silencing

Abstract

Gene expression in the cell is regulated by many different ways. One is through gene silencing, which constitutes a cellular mechanism by which the expression of genes is inhibited, controlling the expression of endogenous and exogenous genes. This mechanism plays an important role in the regulation of development, cell differentiation and defense against sequences from invading organisms and transposons. It takes place both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm and participates in the regulation of transcription and translation. The signal of activation of gene silencing is often double-stranded RNA. So far, gene silencing has been shown to occur in plants, single-cell algae, fungi, nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and mammalian cells. Its usefulness in biotechnology and medicine has been widely studied. Interference RNA has become an experimentation tool for the functional characterization of genes in the laboratory and in many areas of scientific research. The following review includes information on the development of strategies for the application of interfering RNA in living organisms and their application in therapeutics.