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Wed 28 Apr, 2010 05:09 pm
any native RNA molecules with a complementary sequence of letters =
any native RNA molecules that has a complementary sequence of letters?
Context:
The discovery over a decade ago that snippets of RNA can be used as gene silencers in worms garnered a Nobel prize in 2006. Now, for the first time, RNA interference (RNAi) has been proven effective against a human disease " a common respiratory virus.
Under RNAi, short strands of RNA are added to cells to destroy any native RNA molecules with a complementary sequence of letters. Since genes use RNA molecules to make proteins, these snippets effectively "silence" genes that carry the same sequence. In animals, RNAi has shown promise, but progress in people has been slow.