Search for limiting factors in the RNAi pathway in silkmoth tissues and the Bm5 cell line: the RNA-binding proteins R2D2 and Translin.

ABSTRACT: RNA interference (RNAi), an RNA-dependent gene silencing process that is initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules, has been applied with variable success in lepidopteran insects, in contrast to the high efficiency achieved in the coleopteran Tribolium castaneum. To gain insight into the factors that determine the efficiency of RNAi, a survey was carried out to check the expression of factors that constitute the machinery of the small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) pathways in different tissues and stages of the silkmoth, Bombyx mori. It was found that the dsRNA-binding protein R2D2, an essential component in the siRNA pathway in Drosophila, was expressed at minimal levels in silkmoth tissues. The silkmoth-derived Bm5 cell line was also deficient in expression of mRN

SUBMITTER: Swevers L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3102679 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature