REVIEW: RNA Interference. An Approach to Produce Knockout Organisms and Cell Lines

V. V. Kuznetsov

Department of Nucleic Acid Structure and Function, Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, ul. Akad. Zabolotnogo 150, Kiev 03143, Ukraine; fax: (38044) 266-0759; E-mail: vitaliykuznetsov2000@yahoo.com

Received July 9, 2002; Revision received February 11, 2003

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In various eucaryotic organisms double-stranded RNA causes effective degradation of homologous mRNA molecules by a process called RNA interference. RNA interference is a phenomenon associated with gene suppression via regulatory RNA molecules, which are common in plants, animals, and fungi. The discovery of RNA interference stimulated the development of new approaches for suppression of target gene expression, production of stable knockout cell lines and organisms, and also stimulated studies on possible intracellular functions of this phenomenon.

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KEY WORDS: RNA interference, siRNA, stRNA, RISC, knockouts, Dicer, post-transcriptional gene silencing, double-stranded RNA

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