Control of the functional activity of an antisense RNA by a tetracycline-responsive derivative of the human U6 snRNA promoter

Long non-coding RNA H19 promotes TDRG1 expression and cisplatin resistance by sequestering miRNA-106b-5p in seminoma

The role of TDRG1 in tumorigenesis and the progression of seminoma, as well as its role in regulating chemosensitivity of seminoma to cisplatin through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, has been previously defined. However, the detailed mechanism underlying TDRG1 expression and concomitant chemoresistance conditions are unknown. Furthermore, it has been reported that non‐protein‐coding RNAs play an important role in a variety of vital processes including cellular chemosensitivity. However, the role of non‐protein‐coding RNAs in regulating the chemosensitivity of seminoma remains unknown. In this study, using microarray analysis, we found that long non‐coding RNA H19 was upregulated while miRNA‐106b‐5p was downregulated in an established cisplatin‐resistant TCam‐2 cell line. Moreover, H19 acts as a miRNA‐106b‐5p sponge and thus impairs the function of miRNA‐106b‐5p on its target gene, TDRG1. Based on these findings, we propose that H19 promotes the expression of TDRG1 by sequestering miRNA‐106b‐5p and uses this mechanism to facilitate cell survival in cisplatin‐based chemotherapeutic conditions. These findings elucidate the mechanisms, at least partially, applied to deregulate TDRG1 and cisplatin sensitivity, and may provide new therapeutic possibilities for chemoresistant seminoma.

Inducible RNAi system and its application in novel therapeutics

RNA interference (RNAi) was discovered as a cellular defense mechanism more than decade ago. It has been exploited as a powerful tool for genetic manipulation. Characterized with specifically silencing target gene expression, it has great potential application for disease treatment. Currently, there are human clinical trials in progress or planned. Despite the excitement regarding this prominent technology, there are many obstacles and concerns that prevent RNAi from being widely used in the therapeutic field. Among them, the non-spatial and non-temporal control is the most difficult challenge, as well as off-target effects and triggering type I immune responses. Inducible RNAi technology can effectively regulate target genes by inducer-mediated small hairpin RNA expression. Combination with inducible regulation systems this makes RNAi technology more sophisticated and may provide a wider application field. This review discusses approaches of inducible RNAi systems, the potential problem areas and solutions and their therapeutic applications. Given the limitations discussed herein being resolved, we believe that inducible RNAi will be a major therapeutic modality within the next several years.

Use of RNA interference by in utero electroporation to study cortical development: the example of the doublecortin superfamily

The way we study cortical development has undergone a revolution in the last few years following the ability to use shRNA in the developing brain of the rodent embryo. The first gene to be knocked-down in the developing brain was doublecortin (Dcx). Here we will review knockdown experiments in the developing brain and compare them with knockout experiments, thus highlighting the advantages and disadvantages using the different systems. Our review will focus on experiments relating to the doublecortin superfamily of proteins.

Functional effects of GRM1 suppression in human melanoma cells

Ectopic expression of a neuronal receptor, metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (Grm1), in melanocytes has been implicated in melanoma development in mouse models. The human relevance of this receptor's involvement in melanoma pathogenesis was shown by detecting GRM1 expression in subsets of human melanomas, an observation lacking in benign nevi or normal melanocytes. Grm1-transformed mouse melanocytes and a conditional Grm1 transgenic mouse model confirmed a requirement for sustained expression of Grm1 for the maintenance of transformed phenotypes in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. Here, we investigate if continued GRM1 expression is also required in human melanoma cell lines by using two inducible, silencing RNA systems: the ecdysone/Ponasterone A and tetracycline on/off approaches to regulate GRM1 expression in the presence of each inducer. Various in vitro assays were conducted to assess the consequences of a reduction in GRM1 expression on cell proliferation, apoptosis, downstream targeted signaling pathways, and in vivo tumorigenesis. We showed that suppression of GRM1 expression in several human melanoma cell lines resulted in a reduction in the number of viable cells and a decrease in stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/AKT and suppressed tumor progression in vivo. These results reinforce earlier observations where a reduction in cell growth in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo were correlated with decreased GRM1 activities by pharmacologic inhibitors of the receptor, supporting the notion that GRM1 plays a role in the maintenance of transformed phenotypes in human melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo and could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma.

Controlled expression of functional miR-122 with a ligand inducible expression system

Background

To study the biological function of miRNAs, and to achieve sustained or conditional gene silencing with siRNAs, systems that allow controlled expression of these small RNAs are desirable. Methods for cell delivery of siRNAs include transient transfection of synthetic siRNAs and expression of siRNAs in the form of short hairpins using constitutive RNA polymerase III promoters. Systems employing constitutive RNA polymerase II promoters have been used to express miRNAs. However, for many experimental systems these methods do not offer sufficient control over expression.

Results

We present an inducible mammalian expression system that allows for the conditional expression of short hairpin RNAs that are processed in vivo to generate miRNAs or siRNAs. Using modified nuclear receptors in a two hybrid format and a synthetic ligand, the Rheoswitch system allows rapid and reversible induction of mRNA expression. We evaluated the system's properties using miR-122 as a model miRNA. A short hairpin encoding miR-122 cloned into the expression vector was correctly processed to yield mature miRNA upon induction with ligand and the amount of miRNA produced was commensurate with the concentration of ligand. miR-122 produced in this way was capable of silencing both endogenous target genes and appropriately designed reporter genes. Stable cell lines were obtained, resulting in heritable, consistent and reversible expression of miR-122, a significant advantage over transient transfection. Based on these results, obtained with a microRNA we adapted the method to produce a desired siRNA by designing short hairpins that can be accurately and efficiently processed.

Conclusion

We established an Inducible expression system with a miR-122 backbone that can be used for functional studies of miRNAs and their targets, in heterologous cells that do not normally express the miRNA. Additionally we demonstrate the feasibility of using the miR-122 backbone to express shRNA with a desired siRNA guide strand for inducible RNAi silencing.

Phosphorylation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1a links growth hormone action to lipid metabolism in hepatocytes

OBJECTIVE

Increased lipid accumulation in cells and tissues is a key phenomenon in the development of obesity, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. In the regulation of lipid content of cells and tissues the SREBPs play a dominant role as transcription factors.

METHODS

Since growth hormone (GH) affects lipid metabolism and function of fat as well as liver cells, we have investigated the role of SREBP-1a, SREBP-1c and SREBP-2 in the gene regulatory action of GH in the human liver cell line HepG2 and primary mouse hepatocytes.

RESULTS

These experiments showed that SREBP-1a couples the stimulatory effect of GH on cholesterol regulated genes, e.g. LDL receptor gene, via sterol sensitive binding cis-element (sre-1). This effect was not depending on RNA expression, but related to phosphorylation of SREBP-1a protein. The result was supported by experiments with the mutant variant SREBP-1a S117A, which is not phosphorylated by Erk-MAP kinases. To analyse a possible role of GH-induced SREBP-1a phosphorylation in cellular physiology we investigated an expression profile of genes coding for central players in lipid transport or lipid metabolism as well as for transcription factors by real time PCR in primary mouse hepatocytes and human hepatoma cell line stably overexpressing the mature form of SREBP-1a or mutated form.

CONCLUSION

These experiments emphasize the role SREBP-1a and its phosphorylation for gene regulatory effects of GH.

Transgenic RNAi applications in the mouse

Within the past 10 years, RNA interference has emerged as a powerful experimental tool as it allows rapid gene function analysis. Unique features such as reversibility of gene silencing and simultaneous targeting of several genes characterize the approach. In this chapter, transgenic RNAi techniques in reverse mouse genetics are discussed and protocols are provided.

A novel short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression system promotes Sox9-dependent gene silencing

Cartilage development and function are dependent on a temporally integrated program of gene expression. With the advent of RNA interference (RNAi), artificial control of these complex programs becomes a possibility, limited only by the ability to regulate and express the RNAi. Using existing methods for production of RNAi's, we have constructed a plasmid-based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression system under control of the human pol III H1 promoter and supplemented this promoter with DNA binding sites for the cartilage-specific transcription factor Sox9. The resulting shRNA expression system displays robust, Sox9-dependent gene silencing. Dependence on Sox9 expression was confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The ability of the system to regulate heterologously expressed Sox9 was demonstrated by Western blot, as a function of both Sox9 to shRNA ratio, as well as time from transfection. This novel expression system supports auto-regulatory gene silencing, providing a tissue-specific feedback mechanism for temporal control of gene expression. Its applications for both basic mechanistic studies and therapeutic purposes should facilitate the design and implementation of innovative tissue engineering strategies.

Down-regulation of p57Kip2 induces prostate cancer in the mouse

p57(Kip2) has been considered a candidate tumor suppressor gene because of its location in the genome, biochemical activities, and imprinting status. However, little is known about the role of p57(Kip2) in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Here, we show that the expression of p57(Kip2) is significantly decreased in human prostate cancer, and the overexpression of p57(Kip2) in prostate cancer cells significantly suppressed cell proliferation and reduced invasive ability. In addition, overexpression of p57(Kip2) in LNCaP cells inhibited tumor formation in nude mice, resulting in well-differentiated squamous tumors rather than adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, the prostates of p57(Kip2) knockout mice developed prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and adenocarcinoma. Remarkably, this mouse prostate cancer is pathologically identical to human prostate adenocarcinoma. Therefore, these results strongly suggest that p57(Kip2) is an important gene in prostate cancer tumorigenesis, and the p57(Kip2) pathway may be a potential target for prostate cancer prevention and therapy.

A tightly regulated Pol III promoter for synthesis of miRNA genes in tandem

A compelling tool for functional genetics is to silence the expression of multiple related genes concomitantly and reversibly. Such a tool will accelerate the understanding on gene interaction in signaling pathway and the development of comprehensive animal models for human diseases. Multiple gene silencing may be achieved by concurrent expression of multiple miRNA from a Pol II promoter. By comparison, Pol III promoters possess greater capacity to synthesize RNA of high yield and are consisted of compact elements and simple terminators to be convenient for handling. The miRNA-induced gene silencing is a dose-dependent event, and thus, Pol III promoter as a miRNA driver increases the chance to induce phenotypes subsequent to the gene silencing. As a Pol III promoter, endogenous U6 promoter synthesizes small nuclear RNA of high yield and is commonly adapted for miRNA synthesis. Whether U6 promoter is effective to synthesize multiple miRNA in tandem remains to be determined. This study exploited a possibility to express multiple miRNA genes from U6 promoter and also tested the inducibility of varying types of Tet-regulatable U6 promoters. With miR-30a backbone, two miRNA genes were functionally and efficiently expressed from a U6 promoter. The transcriptional activity of Tet-regulatable U6 promoter was tightly regulated by Tetracycline system after sufficient repeats of Tetracycline Operator sequence were introduced within the promoter regions and also between U6 promoter and miRNA gene. This newly developed U6 miRNA system would make multi-gene silencing efficient and reversible.

The effects of frataxin silencing in HeLa cells are rescued by the expression of human mitochondrial ferritin

Frataxin is a ubiquitous mitochondrial iron-binding protein involved in the biosynthesis of Fe/S clusters and heme. Its deficiency causes Friedreich's ataxia, a severe neurodegenerative disease. Mitochondrial ferritin is another major iron-binding protein, abundant in the testis and in sideroblasts from patients with sideroblastic anemia. We previously showed that its expression rescued the defects caused by frataxin deficiency in the yeast. To verify if this occurs also in mammals, we silenced frataxin in HeLa cells. This caused a reduction of growth, inhibition of the activity of aconitase and superoxide dismutase-2 and reduction of cytosolic ferritins without alteration of mitochondrial iron content. None of these effects were evident when silencing was done in cells expressing mitochondrial ferritin. These data indicate that frataxin has some roles in controlling the balance between different mitochondrial iron pools that are partially in common with those of mitochondrial ferritin.

pHUSH: a single vector system for conditional gene expression

Background

Conditional expression vectors have become a valuable research tool to avoid artefacts that may result from traditional gene expression studies. However, most systems require multiple plasmids that must be independently engineered into the target system, resulting in experimental delay and an increased potential for selection of a cell subpopulation that differs significantly from the parental line. We have therefore developed pHUSH, an inducible expression system that allows regulated expression of shRNA, miRNA or cDNA cassettes on a single viral vector.

Results

Both Pol II and Pol III promoters have been successfully combined with a second expression cassette containing a codon-optimized tetracycline repressor and selectable marker. We provide examples of how pHUSH has been successfully employed to study the function of target genes in a number of cell types within in vitro and in vivo assays, including conditional gene knockdown in a murine model of brain cancer.

Conclusion

We have successfully developed and employed a single vector system that enables Doxycycline regulated RNAi or transgene expression in a variety of in vitro and in vivo model systems. These studies demonstrate the broad application potential of pHUSH for conditional genetic engineering in mammalian cells.

A more efficient RNAi inducible system for tight regulation of gene expression in mammalian cells and xenograft animals

Two types of tetracycline-controlled inducible RNAi expression systems have been developed that generally utilize multiple tetracycline operators (TetOs) or repressor fusion proteins to overcome the siRNA leakiness. Here, we report a novel system that overexpresses the tetracycline repressor (TetR) via a bicistronic construct to control siRNA expression. The high level of TetR expression ensures that the inducible promoter is tightly bound, with minimal basal transcription, allowing for regulation solely dependent on TetR rather than a TetR fusion protein via a more complicated mechanism. At the same time, this system contains only a single TetO, thus minimizing the promoter impairment occurring in existing systems due to the incorporation of multiple TetOs, and maximizing the siRNA expression upon induction. In addition, this system combines all the components required for regulation of siRNA expression into a single lentiviral vector, so that stable cell lines can be generated by a single transduction and selection, with significant reduction in time and cost. Taken together, this all-in-one lentiviral vector with the feature of TetR overexpression provides a unique and more efficient tool for conditional gene knockdown that has wide applications. We have demonstrated the high degree of robustness and versatility of this system as applied to several mammalian cells and xenograft animals.

Lentiviral vectors encoding tetracycline-dependent repressors and transactivators for reversible knockdown of gene expression: a comparative study

Background

RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated by the expression of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) has emerged as a powerful experimental tool for reverse genetic studies in mammalian cells. A number of recent reports have described approaches allowing regulated production of shRNAs based on modified RNA polymerase II (Pol II) or RNA polymerase III (Pol III) promoters, controlled by drug-responsive transactivators or repressors such as tetracycline (Tet)-dependent transactivators and repressors. However, the usefulness of these approaches is often times limited, caused by inefficient delivery and/or expression of shRNA-encoding sequences in target cells and/or poor design of shRNAs sequences. With a view toward optimizing Tet-regulated shRNA expression in mammalian cells, we compared the capacity of a variety of hybrid Pol III promoters to express short shRNAs in target cells following lentivirus-mediated delivery of shRNA-encoding cassettes.

Results

RNAi-mediated knockdown of gene expression in target cells, controlled by a modified Tet-repressor (TetR) in the presence of doxycycline (Dox) was robust. Expression of shRNAs from engineered human U6 (hU6) promoters containing a single tetracycline operator (TO) sequence between the proximal sequence element (PSE) and the TATA box, or an improved second-generation Tet-responsive promoter element (TRE) placed upstream of the promoter was tight and reversible as judged using quantitative protein measurements. We also established and tested a novel hU6 promoter system in which the distal sequence element (DSE) of the hU6 promoter was replaced with a second-generation TRE. In this system, positive regulation of shRNA production is mediated by novel Tet-dependent transactivators bearing transactivation domains derived from the human Sp1 transcription factor.

Conclusion

Our modified lentiviral vector system resulted in tight and reversible knockdown of target gene expression in unsorted cell populations. Tightly regulated target gene knockdown was observed with vectors containing either a single TO sequence or a second-generation TRE using carefully controlled transduction conditions. We expect these vectors to ultimately find applications for tight and reversible RNAi in mammalian cells in vivo.

Human Maf1 negatively regulates RNA polymerase III transcription via the TFIIB family members Brf1 and Brf2

RNA polymerase III (RNA pol III) transcribes many of the small structural RNA molecules involved in processing and translation, thereby regulating the growth rate of a cell. Initiation of pol III transcription requires the evolutionarily conserved pol III initiation factor TFIIIB. TFIIIB is the molecular target of regulation by tumor suppressors, including p53, RB and the RB-related pocket proteins. However, our understanding of negative regulation of human TFIIIB-mediated transcription by other proteins is limited. In this study we characterize a RNA pol III luciferase assay and further demonstrate in vivo that a human homolog of yeast Maf1 represses RNA pol III transcription. Additionally, we show that Maf1 repression of RNA pol III transcription occurs via TFIIIB, specifically through the TFIIB family members Brf1 and Brf2.

Comparison of RNAi efficiency mediated by tetracycline-responsive H1 and U6 promoter variants in mammalian cell lines

Conditional expression of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) to knock down target genes is a powerful tool to study gene function. The most common inducible expression systems are based on tetracycline-regulated RNA polymerase III promoters. During the last years, several tetracycline-inducible U6 and H1 promoter variants have been reported in different experimental settings showing variable efficiencies. In this study, we compare the most common variants of these promoters in several mammalian cell lines. For all cell lines tested, we find that several inducible U6 and H1 promoters containing single tetracycline operator (tetO) sequences show high-transcriptional background in the non-induced state. Promoter variants containing two tetO sequences show tight suppression of transcription in the non-induced state, and high tet responsiveness and high gene knockdown efficiency upon induction in all cell lines tested. We report a variant of the H1 promoter containing two O2-type tetO sequences flanking the TATA box that shows little transcriptional background in the non-induced state and up to 90% target knockdown when the inducer molecule (dox-doxycycline) is added. This inducible system for RNAi-based gene silencing is a good candidate for use both in basic research on gene function and for potential therapeutic applications.

Hydrophobization and bioconjugation for enhanced siRNA delivery and targeting

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved process by which double-stranded small interfering RNA (siRNA) induces sequence-specific, post-transcriptional gene silencing. Unlike other mRNA targeting strategies, RNAi takes advantage of the physiological gene silencing machinery. The potential use of siRNA as therapeutic agents has attracted great attention as a novel approach for treating severe and chronic diseases. RNAi can be achieved by either delivery of chemically synthesized siRNAs or endogenous expression of small hairpin RNA, siRNA, and microRNA (miRNA). However, the relatively high dose of siRNA required for gene silencing limits its therapeutic applications. This review discusses several strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy as well as to abrogate off-target effects and immunostimulation caused by siRNAs. There is an in-depth discussion on various issues related to the (1) mechanisms of RNAi, (2) methods of siRNA production, (3) barriers to RNAi-based therapies, (4) biodistribution, (5) design of siRNA molecules, (6) chemical modification and bioconjugation, (7) complex formation with lipids and polymers, (8) encapsulation into lipid particles, and (9) target specificity for enhanced therapeutic effectiveness.

Reversible gene knockdown in mice using a tight, inducible shRNA expression system

RNA interference through expression of short hairpin (sh)RNAs provides an efficient approach for gene function analysis in mouse genetics. Techniques allowing to control time and degree of gene silencing in vivo, however, are still lacking. Here we provide a generally applicable system for the temporal control of ubiquitous shRNA expression in mice. Depending on the dose of the inductor doxycycline, the knockdown efficiency reaches up to 90%. To demonstrate the feasibility of our tool, a mouse model of reversible insulin resistance was generated by expression of an insulin receptor (Insr)-specific shRNA. Upon induction, mice develop severe hyperglycemia within seven days. The onset and progression of the disease correlates with the concentration of doxycycline, and the phenotype returns to baseline shortly after withdrawal of the inductor. On a broad basis, this approach will enable new insights into gene function and molecular disease mechanisms.

A facile lentiviral vector system for expression of doxycycline-inducible shRNAs: knockdown of the pre-miRNA processing enzyme Drosha

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful genetic tool for loss-of-function studies in mammalian cells and is also considered a potentially powerful therapeutic modality for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. During the past 3 years a number of systems for conditional RNAi have been developed that allow controlled expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) triggers of RNAi. The simplest strategy relies on tet-operable polymerase III-promoted shRNAs and co-expression of the tetracycline regulatory protein, TetR. In this study we have combined these features into a single lentiviral vector that upon delivery to target cells allows robust induction of shRNAs, even with low levels of doxycycline; importantly, we show minimal leakiness in the absence of inducer. We have exploited the regulatory properties of our system by targeting an essential cellular gene, the nuclear RNaseIII endonuclease Drosha. Drosha is the core catalytic component of the "microprocessor complex" and cleaves the primary microRNA (miRNA) transcripts into their pre-miRNA hairpin intermediates. We anticipate that our vector will facilitate functional studies of miRNA biogenesis.

Viral vectors: a wide range of choices and high levels of service

Viruses are intracellular parasites with simple DNA or RNA genomes. Virus life revolves around three steps: infection of a host cell, replication of its genome within the host cell environment, and formation of new virions; this process is often but not always associated with pathogenic effects against the host organism. Since the mid-1980s, the main goal of viral vectorology has been to develop recombinant viral vectors for long-term gene delivery to mammalian cells, with minimal associated toxicity. Today, several viral vector systems are close to achieving this aim, providing stable transgenic expression in many different cell types and tissues. Here we review application characteristics of four vector systems, derived from adeno-associated viruses, adenoviruses, retroviruses and herpes simplex virus-1, for in vivo gene delivery. We discuss the transfer capacity of the expression vectors, the stability of their transgenic expression, the tropism of the recombinant viruses, the likelihood of induction of immunotoxicity, and the ease (or difficulty) of the virus production. In the end, we discuss applications of these vectors for delivery of three molecular systems for conditional mutagenesis, two for inducible transcriptional control of transgenic expression (the tet and the dimerizer systems), and the third one for inducible control of endogenous gene expression based on RNA interference.

A new inducible RNAi xenograft model for assessing the staged tumor response to mTOR silencing

Human xenograft tumor models are widely used for efficacy evaluation of potential cancer targets. siRNA is usually stably introduced into tumor cells prior to transplantation. However, silencing of the cancer therapeutic target usually results in reduced cell growth/survival in vitro and/or failure to establish tumors in vivo, thus hindering tumor response-based efficacy evaluation. The present study explored a new tumor response model based on regulated RNAi, which is more relevant from a clinical standpoint. As a proof of principle, an inducible lentiviral RNAi vector was used to silence the known cancer therapeutic target mTOR upon induction with Doxycycline (DOX). The responses to DOX-induced mTOR silencing were tested both in vitro and in vivo for prostate cancer PC3 models. Significant reduction in cancer cell survival was observed due to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis when mTOR silencing was induced in vitro. mTOR silencing also caused tumor regression for the early-staged PC3 tumors (100% tumor regressed and 45% became tumor-free). The advanced-staged tumors also demonstrated significant responses (100% regressed). Therefore, our results demonstrate the powerful utility of this new inducible xenograft tumor model for efficacy evaluation of cancer targets, and it provides a direct in vivo efficacy validation of mTOR as a cancer therapeutic target.

Tumor inhibition by genomically integrated inducible RNAi-cassettes

RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful tool to induce loss-of-function phenotypes by post-transcriptional silencing of gene expression. In this study we wondered whether inducible RNAi-cassettes integrated into cellular DNA possess the power to trigger neoplastic growth. For this purpose inducible RNAi vectors containing tetracycline (Tet)-responsive derivatives of the H1 promoter for the conditional expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) were used to target human polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), which is overexpressed in a broad spectrum of human tumors. In the absence of doxycycline (Dox) HeLa clones expressing TetR, that carry the RNAi-cassette stably integrated, exhibited no significant alteration in Plk1 expression levels. In contrast, exposure to Dox led to marked downregulation of Plk1 mRNA to 3% and Plk1 protein to 14% in cell culture compared to mismatch shRNA/Plk1-expressing cells. As a result of Plk1 depletion cell proliferation decreased to 17%. Furthermore, for harnessing RNAi for silencing disease-related genes in vivo we transplanted inducible RNAi-HeLa cells onto nude mice. After administration of Dox knockdown of Plk1 expression was observed correlating to a significant inhibition of tumor growth. Taken together, our data revealed that genomically integrated RNAi-elements are suitable to hamper tumor growth by conditional expression of shRNA.

Tuning silence: conditional systems for RNA interference

RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful tool to downregulate the expression of specific genes. Drug-inducible systems allowing for conditional RNAi that offer the unique potential to modulate expression of virtually any endogenous gene in the cell have been recently developed. Their applications are very broad, ranging from basic studies of gene function to translational research including modeling of human diseases, analysis of potential side effects of candidate drugs, testing of gene-based therapies and loss-of-function screens. Here we summarize the state of the art of systems allowing for drug-controllable knockdown, and provide a description of their current and future applications.

H1 RNA polymerase III promoter-driven expression of an RNA aptamer leads to high-level inhibition of intracellular protein activity

Aptamers offer advantages over other oligonucleotide-based approaches that artificially interfere with target gene function due to their ability to bind protein products of these genes with high affinity and specificity. However, RNA aptamers are limited in their ability to target intracellular proteins since even nuclease-resistant aptamers do not efficiently enter the intracellular compartments. Moreover, attempts at expressing RNA aptamers within mammalian cells through vector-based approaches have been hampered by the presence of additional flanking sequences in expressed RNA aptamers, which may alter their functional conformation. In this report, we successfully expressed a ‘pure’ RNA aptamer specific for NF-κB p50 protein (A-p50) utilizing an adenoviral vector employing the H1 RNA polymerase III promoter. Binding of the expressed aptamer to its target and subsequent inhibition of NF-κB mediated intracellular events were demonstrated in human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549), murine mammary carcinoma cells (4T1) as well as a human tumor xenograft model. This success highlights the promise of RNA aptamers to effectively target intracellular proteins for in vitro discovery and in vivo applications.

Inducible and reversible suppression of Npm1 gene expression using stably integrated small interfering RNA vector in mouse embryonic stem cells

The tetracycline (Tc)-inducible small interference RNA (siRNA) is a powerful tool for studying gene function in mammalian cells. However, the system is infrequently utilized in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Here, we present the first application of the Tc-inducible, stably integrated plasmid-based siRNA system in mouse ES cells to down-regulate expression of Npm1, an essential gene for embryonic development. The physiological role of Npm1 in ES cells has not been defined. Our data show that the knock-down of Npm1 expression by this siRNA system was not only highly efficient, but also Tc- dose- and induction time-dependent. Particularly, the down-regulation of Npm1 expression was reversible. Importantly, suppression of Npm1 expression in ES cells resulted in reduced cell proliferation. Taken together, this system allows for studying gene function in a highly controlled manner, otherwise difficult to achieve in ES cells. Moreover, our results demonstrate that Npm1 is essential for ES cell proliferation.

Adenovirus-Delivered Antisense RNA and shRNA Exhibit Different Silencing Efficiencies for the Endogenous Transforming Growth Factor-β(TGF-β) Type II Receptor

Gene silencing is an essential tool in gene discovery and gene therapy. Traditionally, viral delivery of antisense RNA and, more recently, small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules in the form of small hairpin RNAs (shRNA) has been used as a strategy to achieve gene silencing. Nevertheless, the enduring challenge is to identify molecules that specifically and optimally silence a given target gene. In this study, we tested a set of adenovirus-delivered antisense RNA fragments and adenovirus-delivered shRNA molecules for their ability to target human transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor (TGFbetaRII). We used a dicistronic reporter, consisting of the coding sequences for TGFbetaRII and green fluorescent protein (GFP) to screen for optimal silencing agents targeting TGFbetaRII. Our results show, for both antisense RNA and shRNA molecules, that their effectiveness in the GFP screen correlated directly with their ability to reduce exogenously expressed TGFbetaRII. Unexpectedly, the antisense RNAs were unable to silence endogenous TGFbetaRII. In contrast, the shRNAs were able to silence endogenous TGFbetaRII. The shRNA that demonstrated the most pronounced effect on the dicistronic TGFbetaRII/GFP reporter reduced endogenous TGFbetaRII protein expression by 70% in A549 cells and reduced TGFbeta signaling by >80% in HeLa cells.

Establishment and utilization of a tetracycline-controlled inducible RNA interfering system to repress gene expression in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells

RNA interference (RNAi), a posttranscriptional gene silencing process mediated by small double-stranded RNA specifically complementary to the targeted transcript, has been used extensively in the development of novel therapeutic approaches against various human diseases including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Here, we report the successful construction of a tetracycline-controlled siRNA in CML cell line K562. A K562 cell line stably expressing the reverse tetracycline-controlled transactivator (rtTA) was constructed. A tetracycline responsive element (TRE) was integrated into the RNA polymerase III promoter region of pBS/U6 that was used to drive specific siRNA to target the novel cytokine receptor-like factor 3 (CRLF3) gene. The results show that rtTA was able to recognize the TRE to prevent siRNA-mediated exogenous and endogenous CRLF3 gene repressions. Moreover, CRLF3-siRNA mediated gene repression could be induced in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of doxycycline. Thus, the inducible siRNAi system in K562 cells might be useful for the study of RNAi-mediated therapeutic approaches against CML.

Viral vectors as tools to model and treat neurodegenerative disorders

The identification of disease-causing genes in familial forms of neurodegenerative disorders and the development of genetic models closely replicating human central nervous system (CNS) pathologies have drastically changed our understanding of the molecular events leading to neuronal cell death. If these achievements open new opportunities of therapeutic interventions, including gene-based therapies, the presence of the blood-brain barrier and the post-mitotic and poor regenerative nature of the target cells constitute important challenges. Efficient delivery systems taking into account the specificity of the CNS are required to administer potential therapeutic candidates. In addition, genetic models in large animals that replicate the late stages of the diseases are in most cases not available for pre-clinical studies. The present review summarizes the potential of viral vectors as tools to create new genetic models of CNS disorders in various species including primates and the recent progress toward viral gene therapy clinical trials for the administration of therapeutic candidates into the brain.

Dimerization of CUL7 and PARC is not required for all CUL7 functions and mouse development

CUL7, a recently identified member of the cullin family of E3 ubiquitin ligases, forms a unique SCF-like complex and is required for mouse embryonic development. To further investigate CUL7 function, we sought to identify CUL7 binding proteins. The p53-associated, parkin-like cytoplasmic protein (PARC), a homolog of CUL7, was identified as a CUL7-interacting protein by mass spectrometry. The heterodimerization of PARC and CUL7, as well as homodimerization of PARC and CUL7, was confirmed in vivo. To determine the biological role of PARC by itself and in conjunction with CUL7, a targeted deletion of Parc was created in the mouse. In contrast to the neonatal lethality of the Cul7 knockout mice, Parc knockout mice were born at the expected Mendelian ratios and exhibited no apparent phenotype. Additionally, Parc deletion did not appear to affect the stability or function of p53. These results suggest that PARC and CUL7 form an endogenous complex and that PARC and CUL7 functions are at least partially nonoverlapping. In addition, although PARC and p53 form a complex, the absence of effect of Parc deletion on p53 stability, localization, and function suggests that p53 binding to PARC may serve to control PARC function.

Conditional inhibition of cancer cell proliferation by tetracycline-responsive, H1 promoter-driven silencing of PLK1

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for studying gene function. We developed an inducible genetic element for short interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing. This system uses a tetracycline (Tet)-responsive derivative of the H1 promoter and the Tet repressor (TetR) for conditional expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in HeLa cells. Promoter constructs were generated, which contain the Tet operator (TetO) derived from a prokaryotic Tet resistance transposon upstream and/or downstream of the TATA box. To quantify the response of controllable transcription units for shRNA expression, we examined the functional activity of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), a key component of mitotic progression, that is overexpressed in many human tumors. Cotransfection of plasmids for the expression of TetR and shRNA/PLK1 under the control of an H1 promoter-variant carrying TetO upstream of the TATA box did not alter PLK1 expression and proliferation properties of HeLa cells in the absence of doxycycline. Addition of the antibiotic led to marked downregulation of endogenous PLK1 accompanied by strong inhibition of cellular proliferation. Our data indicate that an inducible transcription system for shRNAs based on the human H1 promoter could be a versatile tool for controlled gene silencing in vitro.

Development of a tightly regulated U6 promoter for shRNA expression

Short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) have been used to achieve stable target knockdown in a variety of biological systems. Here, we report the development of a tightly regulated tetracycline-responsive human U6 promoter for shRNA expression. By engineering two copies of the tet operators flanking the TATA box of the human U6 promoter, we created a U6 promoter derivative (2O2) that exhibited much lower basal transcriptional activity compared with recently reported inducible pol III dependent promoters. As a consequence of its tighter regulation, the 2O2 system greatly improved the success rate in making inducible knockdown cell lines.

Escape from the interferon response associated with RNA interference using vectors that encode long modified hairpin-RNA

In mammalian cells, siRNAs have been used to induce RNA interference (RNAi) in an attempt to prevent nonspecific effects (including the interferon (IFN) response) which are caused by long double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) of more than 30 bp. In this report, we describe a novel and simple strategy for avoiding activation of the IFN response by dsRNA. We show that modified hairpin-RNAs (mhRNAs) of more than 100 bp, with multiple specific point-mutations within the sense strand and transcribed from the U6 or tRNA(Val) promoters, can cause RNAi without inducing the IFN pathway genes. Moreover, we demonstrate that the 50-bp mhRNA vector could effectively suppress the replication of multiple hepatitis C viruses (the genomes of which differ slightly, thus the 21-bp siRNA vector failed to suppress one of them). Our findings should enhance the exploitation of RNAi in mammalian cells, especially in the field of RNAi therapy against pathogenic viruses.

Gene knockdown with intrathecal siRNA of NMDA receptor NR2B subunit reduces formalin-induced nociception in the rat

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation, at the level of the spinal cord, has been shown to play an important role in the facilitation of nociception in several animal models. However, the use of NMDA antagonists as analgesics is limited by serious side effects due to nonselective effects among the NMDA receptor subtypes. Recent discoveries revealed that the transfection of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) into animal cells resulted in the potent, long-lasting, post-transcriptional silencing of specific genes. Thus, we investigated the effect of intrathecal (i.t.) injection of siRNAs targeting NMDA-R2B receptor subunit protein (NR2B) receptors, a subunit of NMDA receptor, for the modulation of pain. The results indicate that the use of siRNA targeting the NR2B subunit not only decreased the expression of NR2B mRNA and its associated protein, as demonstrated by real-time PCR and Western blotting, but also abolished formalin-induced pain behaviors in rat model. The peak effect occurred on day 3 for mRNA and day 7 for its protein, following i.t. injection of 5 microg of siRNA-NR2B. These data prove the feasibility of i.t. siRNAs in the investigation of functional gene expression in the context of whole animal behavior for the management of chronic pain.

Reduction of adenovirus E1A mRNA by RNAi results in enhanced recombinant protein expression in transiently transfected HEK293 cells

Human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, a widely used host for large-scale transient expression of recombinant proteins, are transformed with the adenovirus E1A and E1B genes. Because the E1A proteins function as transcriptional activators or repressors, they may have a positive or negative effect on transient transgene expression in this cell line. Suspension cultures of HEK293 EBNA (HEK293E) cells were co-transfected with a reporter plasmid expressing the GFP gene and a plasmid expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting the E1A mRNAs for degradation by RNA interference (RNAi). The presence of the shRNA in HEK293E cells reduced the steady state level of E1A mRNA up to 75% and increased transient GFP expression from either the elongation factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha) promoter or the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate early promoter up to twofold. E1A mRNA depletion also resulted in a twofold increase in transient expression of a recombinant IgG in both small- and large-scale suspension cultures when the IgG light and heavy chain genes were controlled by the EF-1alpha promoter. Finally, transient IgG expression was enhanced 2.5-fold when the anti-E1A shRNA was expressed from the same vector as the IgG light chain gene. These results demonstrated that E1A has a negative effect on transient gene expression in HEK293E cells, and they established that RNAi can be used to enhance recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells.

Gene therapy progress and prospects: transcription regulatory systems

The clinical efficacy and safety as well as the application range of gene therapy will be broadened by developing systems capable of finely modulating the expression of therapeutic genes. Transgene regulation will be crucial for maintaining appropriate levels of a gene product within the therapeutic range, thus preventing toxicity. Moreover, the possibility to modulate, stop or resume transgene expression in response to disease evolution would facilitate the combination of gene therapy with more conventional therapeutic modalities. The development of ligand-dependent transcription regulatory systems is thus of great importance. Here, we summarize the most recent progress in the field.

Lobotomy of genes: use of RNA interference in Neuroscience

Galen of Pergamon studied nerve function by shearing nerves in various species including monkeys, dogs, bulls and even elephants (humans being off limits to researchers; Sartan, 1954). An analogous strategy to determine gene function by ablating gene expression has recently been developed. RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular response to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) apparently as a defense against viral or transposon activity (Denli and Hannon, 2003; Dykxhoorn et al., 2003; Plasterk, 2002; Zamore, 2002). By activating this ancient defense mechanism through the introduction of artificial dsRNA, it is now possible to inhibit expression of almost any gene in almost any cell type, among them neuronal cells. In mammalian cells the active RNAi species must be short, approximately 21 nucleotide RNAs; these 21-bp species are called short interfering RNA (siRNA; Fig 1).

Gene regulation by tetracyclines

Gene regulation by tetracyclines has become a widely-used tool to study gene functions in pro- and eukaryotes. This regulatory system originates from Gram-negative bacteria, in which it fine-tunes expression of a tetracycline-specific export protein mediating resistance against this antibiotic. This review attempts to describe briefly the selective pressures governing the evolution of tetracycline regulation, which have led to the unique regulatory properties underlying its success in manifold applications. After discussing the basic mechanisms we will present the large variety of designed alterations of activities which have contributed to the still growing tool-box of components available for adjusting the regulatory properties to study gene functions in different organisms or tissues. Finally, we provide an overview of the various experimental setups available for pro- and eukaryotes, and touch upon some highlights discovered by the use of tetracycline-dependent gene regulation.

siRNA-based inhibition specific for mutant SOD1 with single nucleotide alternation in familial ALS, compared with ribozyme and DNA enzyme

In many of autosomal dominant diseases such as familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with SOD1 mutation, a missense point mutation may induce the disease by its gain of adverse property. Reduction of such a mutant protein expression is expected to improve the disease phenotype. Duplex of 21-nt RNA, known as siRNA, has recently emerged as a powerful tool to silence gene, but the sequence specificity and efficacies have not been fully studied in comparison with ribozyme and DNA enzyme. We could make the siRNA which recognized even a single nucleotide alternation and selectively suppress G93A SOD1 expression leaving wild-type SOD1 intact. In mammalian cells, the siRNA much more efficiently suppressed the expression of mutant SOD1 than ribozyme or DNA enzyme. Furthermore, these siRNAs could suppress cell death of Neuro2a induced by over-expression of mutant SOD1s with stress of proteasome inhibition. Our results support the feasibility of utilizing siRNA-based gene therapy of familial ALS with mutant SOD1.

Inducible shRNA expression for application in a prostate cancer mouse model

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to induce loss-of-function phenotypes by inhibiting gene expression post-transcriptionally. Synthetic short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) as well as vector-based siRNA expression systems have been used successfully to silence gene expression in a variety of biological systems. We describe the development of an inducible siRNA expression system that is based on the tetracycline repressor and eukaryotic RNA polymerase III promoters (U6 and 7SK). For proof of concept we selectively inhibited expression of two catalytic subunits of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), p110alpha and p110beta, by using vector-derived short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs). Stable pools of human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) exhibiting reduced levels of both PI 3-kinase catalytic subunits due to the expression of corresponding shRNAs in an inducible fashion were established and analyzed for their invasive potential in vitro as well as in an orthotopic metastatic mouse model. This inducible system for RNAi allows an unbiased and comparable analysis of loss-of-function phenotypes by comparing selected isogenic cell populations on the induced and non-induced level. In addition, conditional RNAi allows the study of essential and multifunctional genes involved in complex biological processes by preventing inhibitory and compensatory effects caused by constitutive knockdown.

Vector-based in vivo RNA interference: dose- and time-dependent suppression of transgene expression

RNA interference (RNAi) induced by delivery of a small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-expressing vector was characterized in mice. siRNA-expressing plasmid DNA (pDNA) was injected by a hydrodynamics-based procedure along with pDNA encoding an exogenous target luciferase gene. A comparative study showed that stem-loop-type siRNA-expressing pDNA was superior, in terms of the transgene suppressive efficacy, to the tandem-type in the liver following systemic delivery of these pDNAs. Transgene suppression occurred in the liver, kidney, and lung as well as muscle. The degree of suppression was dependent on the dose of siRNA-expressing pDNA and the time at which transgene expression was determined following simultaneous injection of siRNA-expressing and target pDNAs. A reduction in transgene expression became apparent at 1 day after injection, whereas a lower degree of inhibition was obtained before this, as early as 6 h even in mice treated with an excess of siRNA-expressing pDNA. These results suggest that delivery of siRNA-expressing pDNA requires a period of time for induction of RNAi. A study of sequential injections revealed that prior injection of siRNA-expressing pDNA produced a significant suppression for at least 1 day, which disappeared within 4 days. Confocal microscopic studies indicated that the localization of the cells with successful delivery of transgene was different between primary and secondary hydrodynamics-based injections, accounting for the less effective inhibition following the sequential injections. Taken together, these results demonstrate that vector-based in vivo RNAi is a dose- and time-dependent process and offers the possibility of suppressing endogenous targets in a variety of somatic cells.

Expression of siRNA from a Single Transcript That Includes Multiple Ribozymes in Mammalian Cells

RNA interference (RNAi) has been developed recently as a powerful tool for silencing of mRNAs in various organisms. In mammalian cells, the introduction of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can inhibit gene expression in a sequence-specific manner without induction of the nonspecific degradation that is activated by long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) (>30 nt). Here, we report a method for generating siRNAs in mammalian cells using a self-cleaving ribozyme-expressing vector. Four ribozymes within transcripts that were expressed under the control of a cytomegalovirus (CMV) or tRNAVal promoter excised, in cis, specific sense and antisense sequences from primary transcripts and generated siRNAs in HeLa cells. The siRNAs generated by the ribozymes were able to decrease the expression of a firefly gene for luciferase. These results suggest that polymerase II (pol II) systems, particularly in view of the availability of many potential tissue-specific promoters, and pol III systems, in which siRNAs are generated by a trimming-ribozyme (TRz) system as described here, should be useful in efforts to suppress the expression of specific genes.

Gene regulation by tetracyclines. Constraints of resistance regulation in bacteria shape TetR for application in eukaryotes

The Tet repressor protein (TetR) regulates transcription of a family of tetracycline (tc) resistance determinants in Gram-negative bacteria. The resistance protein TetA, a membrane-spanning H+-[tc.M]+ antiporter, must be sensitively regulated because its expression is harmful in the absence of tc, yet it has to be expressed before the drugs' concentration reaches cytoplasmic levels inhibitory for protein synthesis. Consequently, TetR shows highly specific tetO binding to reduce basal expression and high affinity to tc to ensure sensitive induction. Tc can cross biological membranes by diffusion enabling this inducer to penetrate the majority of cells. These regulatory and pharmacological properties are the basis for application of TetR to selectively control the expression of single genes in lower and higher eukaryotes. TetR can be used for that purpose in some organisms without further modifications. In mammals and in a large variety of other organisms, however, eukaryotic transcriptional activator or repressor domains are fused to TetR to turn it into an efficient regulator. Mechanistic understanding and the ability to engineer and screen for mutants with specific properties allow tailoring of the DNA recognition specificity, the response to inducer tc and the dimerization specificity of TetR-based eukaryotic regulators. This review provides an overview of the TetR properties as they evolved in bacteria, the functional modifications necessary to transform it into a convenient, specific and efficient regulator for use in eukaryotes and how the interplay between structure--function studies in bacteria and specific requirements of particular applications in eukaryotes have made it a versatile and highly adaptable regulatory system.

Establishment of conditional vectors for hairpin siRNA knockdowns

Small interference RNA (siRNA) is an emerging methodology in reverse genetics. Here we report the development of a new tetracycline-inducible vector-based siRNA system, which uses a tetracycline-responsive derivative of the U6 promoter and the tetracycline repressor for conditional in vivo transcription of short hairpin RNA. This method prevents potential lethality immediately after transfection of a vector when the targeted gene is indispensable, or the phenotype of the knockdown is lethal or results in a growth abnormality. We show that the controlled knockdown of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in human cancer resulted in growth arrest. Removal of the inducer, doxycycline, from treated cells led to re-expression of the targeted gene. Thus the method allows for a highly controlled approach to gene knockdown.

Specific inhibition of gene expression using a stably integrated, inducible small-interfering-RNA vector

We have designed a doxycycline-regulated form of the H1 promoter of RNA polymerase III that allows the inducible knockdown of gene expression by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). As a proof-of-principle, we have targeted beta-catenin in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. T-cell factor (TCF) target-gene expression is induced by accumulated beta-catenin, and is the main transforming event in these cells. We have shown previously that the disruption of beta-catenin/TCF4 activity in CRC cells by the overexpression of dominant-negative TCF induces rapid G1 arrest and differentiation. Stable integration of our inducible siRNA vector allowed the rapid production of siRNAs on doxycycline induction, followed by specific downregulation of beta-catenin. In these CRC cells, TCF reporter-gene activity was inhibited, and G1 arrest and differentiation occurred. The inhibition of two other genes using this vector system shows that it should be useful for the inducible knockdown of gene expression.

Functional studies of the PI(3)-kinase signalling pathway employing synthetic and expressed siRNA

RNA interference (RNAi) is a RNA-mediated sequence-specific gene silencing mechanism. Recently, this mechanism has been used to down-regulate protein expression in mammalian cells by applying synthetic- or vector-generated small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). However, for the evaluation of this new knockdown technology, it is crucial to demonstrate biological consequences beyond protein level reduction. Here, we demonstrate that this new siRNA-based technology is suitable to analyse protein functions using the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase signal transduction pathway as a model system. We demonstrate stable and transient siRNA-mediated knockdown of one of the PI 3-kinase catalytic subunits, p110beta, which leads to inhibition of invasive cell growth in vitro as well as in a tumour model system. Importantly, this result is consistent with loss-of-function phenotypes induced by conventional RNase H-dependent antisense molecules or treatment with the PI 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. RNAi knockdown of the downstream kinases Akt1 and Akt2 does not reduce cell growth on extracellular matrix. Our data show that synthetic siRNAs, as well as vector-based expression of siRNAs, are a powerful new tool to interfere with signal transduction processes for the elucidation of gene function in mammalian cells.

Knockdown stands up

In the past year, the genetic research of mammalian cells in vitro has gained the advantages of RNA interference (RNAi), a process found in worms and plants by which double stranded RNAs mediate selective gene inactivation through mRNA destruction. Recently, two papers have shown that genes could be suppressed in vivo in mammals by RNAi, which has potential implications for both therapeutics and research.

RNA Interference With Small Hairpin RNAs Transcribed From a Human U6 Promoter-Driven DNA Vector

RNA interference (RNAi), a process of sequence-specific gene suppression, has been known as a natural gene regulatory mechanism in a wide range of organisms. Recently, a small-interference RNA (siRNA) technology has been reported to produce post-transcriptional gene silencing in mammalian cells. In the present study, we constructed a human U6 promoter-driven mammalian expression vector to produce hairpin double-stranded RNA and transfected this into a human cell line. Using this siRNA system, we were able to knock down the gene expression of an enhanced green fluorescence protein. This result indicates that the plasmid vector-based siRNA system is a promising method to downregulate gene expression in human cells.

Small interfering RNA and gene silencing in transgenic mice and rats

After short duplexes of synthetic 21-23 nt RNAs (siRNA) were reported to be effective in silencing specific genes, a vector-based approach for siRNAs was demonstrated in mammalian cultured cell lines. However, the effect of RNA interference (RNAi) on various differentiated cells in live animals remains unknown. In this report, we demonstrate that transgenically supplied siRNA can silence ubiquitously expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein in every part of the mouse and rat body. These results suggest that transgenic RNAi could function as an alternative method of gene silencing by applying homologous recombination to embryonic stem (ES) cells, and should be successful even in species where ES cell lines remain unestablished.