Knockdown

Knockdown refers to a phenomenon in molecular biology where the expression of one or more of an organism's genes is reduced, either through genetic modification or by treatment with a reagent such as a short DNA or RNA oligonucleotide that has a sequence complementary to either gene or an mRNA transcript.

Mechanism

Knockdown is typically achieved by expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) that is complementary to a target mRNA molecule. The shRNA is processed by the cellular machinery into a short interfering RNA (siRNA), which is then bound to a protein complex known as the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The RISC uses the siRNA as a guide to degrade the target mRNA, thereby preventing it from being translated into protein.

Applications

Knockdown is used in research to study the function of a particular gene. By reducing the expression of the gene, the phenotypic effects can be observed. This can provide information about what the gene does in its normal context. Knockdown can also be used in medicine to treat diseases that are caused by the overexpression of a gene.

See also

• Gene silencing
• RNA interference
• Short hairpin RNA
• Short interfering RNA

References

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