Viruses and RNA Interference: Issues and Controversies

RNA interference & inhibition of viruses.

147 RNA interference (RNAi) is emerging as a new strategy to selectively shut off the post-transcriptional expression of mRNA. This evolutionarily maintained mechanism has been detected from yeast to mammalian cells. Rapid, inexpensive and selective silencing of a gene product in complex biological systems obviously has opened new avenues in fields of virology, cancer research, genetic disorder...

1 Silencing Viruses by Rna Interference

Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) makes possible new approaches for studying the various steps of the viral cycle. Plus-strand RNA viruses appear to be attractive targets for small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), as their genome functions as both mRNA and replication template. PTGS creates an alternative to classic reverse genetics for viruses with either negative-strand or double-stranded ...

How RNA Interference Combat Viruses in Plants

Digoxin--issues and controversies.

This review deals briefly with the clinical pharmacology of digoxin and reviews in some depth the problems inherent in methods of digoxin measurement. Digoxin-like factors (materials that cross react in digoxin immunoassays) are discussed, and some current evidence suggesting the existence of a new hormone, endoxin (endogenous digoxin), is summarized.

Oligonucleotide antiviral therapeutics: antisense and RNA interference for highly pathogenic RNA viruses.

RNA viruses are a significant source of morbidity and mortality in humans every year. Additionally, the potential use of these viruses in acts of bioterrorism poses a threat to national security. Given the paucity of vaccines or postexposure therapeutics for many highly pathogenic RNA viruses, novel treatments are badly needed. Sequence-based drug design, under development for almost 20 years, ...