The RNA-induced silencing complex: A versatile gene-silencing machine

Abstract

RNA interference is a powerful mechanism of gene silencing that underlies many aspects of eukaryotic biology. On the molecular level, RNA interference is mediated by a family of ribonucleo-protein complexes called RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs), which can be programmed to target virtually any nucleic acid sequence for silencing. The ability of RISC to locate target RNAs has been co-opted by evolution many times to generate a broad spectrum of gene-silencing pathways. Here, we review the fundamental biochemical and biophysical properties of RISC that facilitate gene targeting and describe the various mechanisms of gene silencing known to exploit RISC activity. © 2009 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.