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RNA Interference

Video
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Now, I want to use this slide to illustrate RNA interference by using tomato as an example. This is the normal maturity cycle for tomatoes. From green to yellow, to red, to dark red, and become rotten, of course. And the reason tomatoes mature it’s because of an enzyme. It’s called polyglacturonase, the enzyme. Now because of this enzyme, the tomatoes would ripen normally in about 3 to 4 days. Now if we use the antisense technology that is the RNA interference technology, to block the formation of this enzyme or two rather to block gene for this enzyme. Then this enzyme would not be produced or produced at a lower rate or reduced ratee.
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Then we will be able to prolong the ripining period up to one month. So this has a great application in agriculture bioengineering.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression or translation, by neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules. Initial applications of RNA interference include managing pests and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses, for improving crop yield, or to generate plants with novel traits (e.g. delayed ripening of Flavr Savr tomato).

Double-stranded RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) is a simple and rapid method of silencing gene expression in a range of organisms.

Two steps of RNAi: The first step involves degradation of dsRNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), 21 to 25 nucleotides long, by an RNase III-like activity. In the second step, the siRNAs join an RNase complex, RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex), which acts on the cognate mRNA and effectively “silence” it.

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