Short interfering RNA (siRNA) is a double-stranded RNA molecule that is roughly 20 – 25 base pairs in length
siRNA interferes with the expression of genes by causing the mRNA transcripts to be broken prior to translation
- When the siRNA is unwound, one strand (the passenger strand) is degraded and one strand (the guide strand) remains
- The guide strand will hybridise to its complementary mRNA sequence and recruit a protein complex called RISC
- RISC (RNA induced silencing complex) will then destroy the targeted mRNA, preventing translation of the associated gene
RNA Interference with siRNA
