Question

What is the main function of RNA interference?

Answer 1

RNA interference:

RNA interference is the process in which the gene expression is inhibited by RNA molecules by neutralizing the targeted mRNA molecules.

Functions of RNA interferance:

1. The main function of RNA interference is to regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level.
2. RNA interference is often used to study the functions of genes in cell culture and in model organisms.This mechanism is known as Gene knockdown.This mechanism is used to reduce the expression of the targeted gene.
3. With the invention of synthetically made small interfering RNA, it became possible to silence the specific gene sequences instead of silencing the entire gene. Since then, RNAi has been used to target specific gene sequences that can cause cancer. It can also be used to treat bacterial diseases, viruses, parasites, relieve pain and even modulate sleep.