RNA Interference

In the last few years the major effect that RNAi has had in invertebrate systems like C.elegans and drosophila is beginning to take hold in mammalian systems through both single gene knockdown experiments and genome-scale screens. In the next decade, there will no doubt be both notable successes and failures as we attempt to apply this genetic tool to various biological problems for the first time in academia and industry. Through the introduction of RNAi, mammalian systems have finally gained admittance to the pantheon of model genetic systems.

Inhalt
RNA Interference in Mammalian Cell Systems.- RNAi Pathway in C. elegans: The Argonautes and Collaborators.- Genetics and Biochemistry of RNAi in Drosophila.- Role of Dicer in Posttranscriptional RNA Silencing.- The Mechanism of RNase III Action: How Dicer Dices.- MicroRNA Metabolism in Plants.- Structure-Function Relationships Among RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerases.- RNAi-Mediated Chromatin Silencing in Fission Yeast.- A Role for RNAi in Heterochromatin Formation in Drosophila.- RNA-Mediated Transcriptional Gene Silencing in Human Cells.- RNA Silencing in Mammalian Oocytes and Early Embryos.- Identifying Human MicroRNAs.