What is RNA interference?
Q: What is RNA interference?
A: RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in living cells that adjusts (moderates) the activity of their genes.
Q: Who won the Nobel Prize for their work on RNA interference?
A: In 2006, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on RNA interference in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, published in 1998.
Q: What are two types of small RNAs involved with this process?
A: Two types of small RNAs molecules involved with this process are microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA).
Q: How do these small RNAs affect gene expression?
A: These small RNAs bind to normal messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules and increase or decrease their activity, which can prevent a mRNA from producing a protein.
Q: What other roles does RNAi play in living organisms?
A: In addition to adjusting gene expression, RNAi also defends cells against foreign nucleotide sequences such as viruses and transposons, controls development, and has other general functions related to gene expression.
Q: Is there any practical application of this pathway?
A: Yes, the RNAi pathway is used as a valuable research tool both in cell culture and living organisms; it may be used for large-scale screens that shut down each gene to analyse cellular processes or cell division; it also has practical applications in biotechnology and medicine.
