Question

What is dicer in RNAi?

Answer 1

RNAi:

1. Dicers are enzymes in RNase III family of endoribonucleases.
2. Its role in gene silencing is inhibiting the expression of a particular protein by RNA interference.
3. RNA interference is the process by which the mRNA of a cell is blocked from translating into the functional protein that is encoded by its sequence.
4. It specifically identifies and cleaves double-stranded RNA at particular sites.
5. The enzyme dicer trims double-stranded RNA or pre-miRNA to form small interfering RNA or microRNA, respectively.
6. It thereby targets messenger RNA to prevent protein synthesis.