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Gene expression regulation by siRNA electrotransfer<br />
Muriel Golzio<br />
Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale du CNRSUMR 5089, 205 route de<br />
Narbonne 31077 TOULOUSE Cedex., France ; E-Mail : muriel.golzio@ipbs.fr<br />
In a number of evolutionary-distant organisms the introduction of a double-stranded<br />
RNA in the cell induces the degradation of homologous messenger RNA. This<br />
phenomenon, discovered in 1998 and called RNA interference (RNAi), has been<br />
widely used for post-transcriptional gene silencing in C.elegans and Drosophila.<br />
Studies on RNAi have shown that this RNA-mediated mRNA cleavage may be part<br />
of overlapping processes leading to gene silencing in a variety of organisms. The<br />
application of RNAi to mammalian cells through the use of siRNAs indicates that<br />
it represents a powerful tool for reverse genetics in mammalians and possibly for<br />
gene therapy in humans. This is supported by the development of plasmid shRNA<br />
expression vectors able to induce RNAi in vivo as well as by accumulating data from<br />
the literature describing the use of RNAi in the treatments against various diseases.<br />
Electroporation can provide siRNA delivery in various tissues.<br />
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