RNAa Is Conserved in Mammalian Cells

RNAa Is Conserved in Mammalian Cells

BACKGROUND RNA activation (RNAa) is a newly discovered mechanism of gene activation triggered by small double-stranded RNAs termed 'small activating RNAs' (saRNAs). Thus far, RNAa has only been demonstrated in human cells and is unclear whether it is conserved in other mammals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the present study, we evaluated RNAa in cells derived from four mammalian species ...

The proapoptotic function of Drosophila Hid is conserved in mammalian cells.

Three genes-reaper, grim, and hid-are crucial to the regulation of programmed cell death in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations involving all three genes virtually abolish apoptosis during development, and homozygous hid mutants die as embryos with extensive defects in apoptosis. Although Hid is central to apoptosis in Drosophila, it has no mammalian homologue identified to date. We present evid...

RNAa-mediated overexpression of WT1 induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells

AIM Recent studies have reported that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can activate gene expression by targeting promoter sequence in a process termed RNA activation. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential of WT1 induction by small activating RNA targeting the WT1 promoter (dsWT1) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS The human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line ...

Supplementary Information Gene expression of pluripotency determinants is conserved between mammalian and planarian stem cells

Gene expression of pluripotency determinants is conserved between mammalian and planarian stem cells.

Freshwater planaria possess extreme regeneration capabilities mediated by abundant, pluripotent stem cells (neoblasts) in adult animals. Although planaria emerged as an attractive in vivo model system for stem cell biology, gene expression in neoblasts has not been profiled comprehensively and it is unknown how molecular mechanisms for pluripotency in neoblasts relate to those in mammalian embr...