EMBO reports Aug 29, 2008
Many plant viruses have evolved proteins to inhibit host RNA silencing. In this report, Chen and colleagues characterize the three-dimensional structure of TAV2b from Tomato aspermyvirus in complex with a siRNA duplex. (Nature News Service)
Plant Biologists Discover Unexpected Proteins Affecting Small RNAs May 21, 2008
Discovered a decade ago, numerous studies show that small RNAs put the brakes on the mRNA-to-protein step, by latching onto mRNA and blocking its translation into protein or causing its destruction, a phenomenon called RNA silencing ... Ecker thinks this type of mRNA silencing is not an aberration of ein5/abh1 mutant plants ... "What we learn about RNA silencing pathways in plants could be applied to cancer chemotherapy," Gregory explained. (Science Daily)
Penn researchers discover 'modus operandi' of heart muscle protein Apr 11, 2008
When Lmod was knocked down in cardiac muscle cells by an RNA silencing technique, the sarcomeres became completely disorganized and could not direct muscles to contract. Proper localization of Lmod in heart cells is critical, because even moderately elevated levels promote the formation of abnormal actin bundles in the nuclei of cardiac muscle cells where actin does not belong. (EurekAlert!)
RNA Shown To Silence Cancer Suppressor Gene Jan 16, 2008
This is the first time we ve seen an antisense RNA silencing a tumor suppressor through the means of epigenetic changes, says Hengmi Cui, Ph. D., assistant professor of molecular medicine at Hopkins. (Science Daily)
Beet research sees no beauty in disease Apr 6, 2007
And if that isn't enough, others on the scientific team are trying to enhance the lowly beet's disease resistance through the technique known as RNA silencing. Even something called "multidimensional liquid chromatography" is being investigated in the hope it will pinpoint the difference among individual proteins produced in the roots of resistant and susceptible beets when they are exposed to the rhizomania virus. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
High Doses Of Lithium-like Drugs May Impair Neuronal Function Dec 22, 2006
The researchers inhibited GSK-3 beta using RNA silencing. "RNA silencing allows you to specifically knock down the level of a particular protein inside the cell," Snider said ... "We'll be able to find out if we get the same effect in the whole animal that we got using RNA silencing in the culture dish.". (Science Daily)
Novel viral strategy for evading RNA silencing Dec 5, 2006
Though other viral suppressors of RNA silencing had previously been identified, this is the first to be shown to clearly bind an effector protein in the silencing pathway ... J.B. Weitzman, "Virus-induced RNA silencing," The Scientist, May 20, 2002 ... O. Voinnet, "Induction and suppression of RNA silencing: Insights from viral infections," Nat Rev Genet, 6:206-21, 2005. (The Scientist)
Toxic Seed Becomes Hope For The Hungry Nov 28, 2006
Thus, for Rathore and colleagues at the U.S.DA's Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, gossypol became a prime target for RNA silencing a technique for switching genes off that earned two U.S. scientists a Nobel Prize this year. Genes are long strands of DNA a twisted, ladder-shaped molecule that carries the blueprint for organic life. (CBS News)
Long-term RNAi can be deadly May 26, 2006
Overexpressing the nuclear export protein exportin-5 in mice enhanced the RNA silencing effects of both shRNAs and miRNAs, suggesting this protein may be one of the important resources over which shRNAs compete with miRNAs. "Exportin-5 is in pretty low abundance in most cells, and may be an easy thing to saturate," Rossi said. (The Scientist)
Non-coding RNAs help silence the mammalian transcription May 15, 2006
"As we explore the mechanism of genomic imprinting in greater detail, it is becoming clear that there is not a single explanation for the silencing of all imprinted genes. Rather mammals have co-opted multiple transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that were already evolved. In the case of the Kcnqt1ot1, the mechanism utilizes some form of RNA silencing. The variation in silencing mechanisms lends further support to the argument that imprinting arose gradually over a long period in mammals, not... (EurekAlert!)
