Sophisticated silencing ...( Since small RNA molecules were discover...)

Since small RNA molecules were discovered just over ten years ago, it has become clear that these once overlooked bits of genetic material play a decidedly large role in controlling gene expression and thus regulating a diverse array of cellular processes. They typically accomplish these tasks by targeting specific nucleotide sequences to shut down gene expression, and scientists are now starting to apply related strategies to inactivate specific genes for research and therapeutic purposes (see related feature article by Richard Robinson at http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0020028).

Yet much remains to be learned about the details of small-RNA-mediated silencing, and a study lead by James Carrington (Oregon State University) and Steve Jacobsen (UCLA) now demonstrates that plants have evolved multiple systems to produce distinct classes of small RNAs with specialized functions. These include genome maintenance, the regulation of specific endogenous target genes, and defense against viral and transposon sequences. These results shed light on the evolution of RNA-mediated gene silencing and have implications for the adaptation of such silencing strategies for various purposes.

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Contact: Philip Bernstein
pbernstein@plos.org
Public Library of Science
24-Feb-2004

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1. Transcriptional gene silencing in nucleus shown by UCSD/VA medical researchers
2. Researchers look into components of RNA silencing machinery
3. Combination of gene therapy and gene silencing prevents neurodegenerative disease
4. Chromatin remodeling may open up DNA to RNA-mediated silencing
5. UNC researchers identify protein crucial to gene silencing
6. Researchers identify protein modules that read distinct gene silencing codes
7. New mechanism for gene silencing identified
8. Newly identified molecules contribute to normal silencing of most human genes
9. New milestone for gene silencing
10. Study helps explain gene silencing in the developing embryo
11. Scientists devise new gene silencing strategy: Genome, biomedical research expected to flourish