RNAi Discovered
oday, scientists are using the RNAi mechanism to learn more about what particular genes do and how to alter their function. Determining gene function is a relatively simple matter of inserting double-stranded RNA molecules that have a particular sequence into cells and observing the effects after RNAi silences the corresponding gene. Conceivably, this method may one day be used to silence gene mutations that cause human diseases such as Huntington’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and many others. By using either the body’s own mutations or viral invaders, scientists may develop a new type of drug—for example, one that switches off the genes of a cancer cell and leaves healthy cells unaffected. However, because RNAi’s potential effects are so powerful, scientists must first determine that they can control the mechanism so that only the target gene is silenced, and not others.
Tags: Discovered, RNAi
September 3rd, 2010 at 4:02 pm
RNA POLICE
September 3rd, 2010 at 4:12 pm
brilliant vid, very helpful!.. thnx Acorvettes
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:09 pm
DAN only works because Jesus lets is work.
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
shouldve made the cop a ninja
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:49 pm
congrats this video is amazing!
September 3rd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
er… that sounded wrong!
I meant that the video is fantastic, and a great job on it hehe.
September 3rd, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Criminally under-viewed!!!
Great job!
September 3rd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Don’t take any chances, dude.
“Spy ’round ‘ere!”
September 3rd, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Great, great, great!
Most things I knew, but it’s very good to see it in a video instead only to read it in a book from school.
September 3rd, 2010 at 9:12 pm
thats what i think, wouldn’t it be more specific rather than the cop just completely destroying everything that has the sequence for a purple color…either the research is still continuing or the cop as the video says just destroys everything thats not essential to the item
September 3rd, 2010 at 9:50 pm
so incredibly helpful! provided a few laughs too
September 3rd, 2010 at 10:38 pm
<3 it! very helpful.
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:00 pm
brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:18 pm
I would think it’s more along the lines of specific base sequences that are targeted by the “cop”.
September 4th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Whats so amazing is that they explained RNAI so simply that even a 6th grader would understand it
September 4th, 2010 at 12:48 am
If the purple pigment isn’t essential and it has the potential of carrying a virus, the cell is likely to destroy it just as a precaution.
September 4th, 2010 at 1:03 am
Still don’t get why the “cop” destroyed all the purple recipes even the ones that the scientist didn’t introduce. Wouldn’t the original purple recipes still be considered ok by the “cop”.
September 4th, 2010 at 1:36 am
this helped me with my science project thank you soo much!
September 4th, 2010 at 2:34 am
In response to a line in the info. DCA has been found to stimulate mitochondria and enable cancer cells to terminate without effecting healthy tissue. Get interested and invest if you care!
September 4th, 2010 at 2:39 am
perfect analogy, much better than teachers in public school
September 4th, 2010 at 3:00 am
coolest analogy ever!
September 4th, 2010 at 3:07 am
OMG…this really made my day.
I wish I can write this things up for
tomorrow exam.
September 4th, 2010 at 3:39 am
That was a really good analogy.
September 4th, 2010 at 4:26 am
think I fell in love with RNAi!!!
Excellent video!
September 4th, 2010 at 4:43 am
wow, there’s a castle in my cells, kooolness.