Protease silencing to explore the molecular mechanisms of cancer and aging

Abstract

Proteases play key roles in the execution and regulation of most if not all biological functions, and alterations in their activity, expression, or location are associated with multiple pathological conditions, including cancer and aging. In this regard, the use of RNA interference-based approaches to specifically target the expression of individual proteases constitutes an invaluable tool to identify enzymes involved in central aspects of these processes and to explore their potential as targets of therapeutic interventions. Here we describe simple protocols to optimize and monitor the specific silencing of cancer- and aging-related proteases.