RNA Interference Pathways in Fungi: Mechanisms and Functions

RNA interference pathways in fungi: mechanisms and functions.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved eukaryotic gene regulatory mechanism that uses small noncoding RNAs to mediate posttranscriptional/transcriptional gene silencing. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa have served as important model systems for RNAi research. Studies on these two organisms and other fungi have contributed significantly to...

RNA silencing in fungi: mechanisms and applications.

Two RNA silencing-related phenomena, quelling and meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) have been identified in the fungus Neurospora crassa. Similar to the case with the siRNA and miRNA pathways in Drosophila, different sets of protein components including RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, argonaute and dicer, are used in the quelling and MSUD pathways. Orthologs of the RNA silencing components...

RNA interference: Mechanisms and Applications

Loss and Retention of RNA Interference in Fungi and Parasites

RNA interference (RNAi) or RNA silencing is a gene regulatory system, widely conserved in eukaryotes, that represses gene expression through a homology-dependent mechanism. This repressive effect is mediated by small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) of about 20–30 nucleotides, derived from double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) precursors that are recognized and processed by the RNaseIII Dicer. These sRNAs are loa...

Molecular mechanisms of RNA interference.

Small RNA molecules regulate eukaryotic gene expression during development and in response to stresses including viral infection. Specialized ribonucleases and RNA-binding proteins govern the production and action of small regulatory RNAs. After initial processing in the nucleus by Drosha, precursor microRNAs (pre-miRNAs) are transported to the cytoplasm, where Dicer cleavage generates mature m...