Abstract:RNA interference is a potent gene silencing pathway initiated by short molecules of double-stranded RNA. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) with full sequence complementarity to mRNAs induce cleavage of their target transcripts in the cytoplasm. Recent evidence has shown, however, that siRNAs can also function in the nucleus of mammalian cells to affect changes in chromatin structure. When targeted to promoter regions, siRNAs load into the effector protein Argonaute-1 (AGO1) and direct the formation of silent chr… Show more
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