55 results about "RNA silencing" patented technology

The present invention relates to the discovery of a method for inhibiting RNA silencing in a target sequence-specific manner. RNA silencing requires a set of conserved cellular factors to suppress expression of gene-encoded polypeptide. The invention provides compositions for sequence-specific inactivation of the RISC component of the RNA silencing pathway, and methods of use thereof. The RISC inactivators of the present invention enable a variety of methods for identifying and characterizing miRNAs and siRNAs, RISC-associated factors, and agents capable of modulating RNA silencing. Therapeutic methods and compositions incorporating RISC inactivators and therapeutic agents identified through use of RISC inactivators are also featured.

The present invention is based, in part, on the discovery that endogenous mRNAs can be recruited for translational repression of target mRNAs. The RNA-silencing agents and the methods described herein, thereby provide a means by which to treat genetic (e.g., genetic neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's Disease) or non-genetic diseases by, for example, blocking the synthesis of proteins that contribute to the diseases. Accordingly the RNA-silencing agents of the present invention have an mRNA targeting moiety, a linking moiety, and an mRNA recruiting moiety.

The present invention provides methods for enhancing discriminatory RNA silencing by RNA silencing agents. In particular, the invention provides methods for generating RNA silencing agents which can discriminate between target and non-target mRNAs that differ in sequence by only one nucleotide. Also provided are improved RNA silencing agents with enhanced discriminatory RNA silencing, e.g., single nucleotide discriminatory RNA silencing. The compositions and methods of the invention are useful in therapeutic strategies for treating genetic disorders associated with dominant, gain-of-function gene mutations.

The present invention relates to gene silencing, and in particular to compositions of microRNA sequences and vectors and to methods of synthesizing such in vitro and in vivo, and to methods of using such to regulate gene expression.

The present invention relates to gene silencing, and in particular to compositions of microRNA sequences and vectors and to methods of synthesizing such in vitro and in vivo, and to methods of using such to regulate gene expression.

The present invention is based, in part, on the discovery that endogenous mRNAs, such as viral miRNAs, can be recruited for translational repression of target mRNAs, such as viral target mRNAs. The RNA-silencing agents and the methods described herein, thereby provide a means of treating viral infections, of treating diseases or disorders caused by viral infections, or for preventing viral propagation. The RNA-silencing agents of the present invention have an mRNA targeting moiety, a linking moiety, and a viral miRNA recruiting moiety.

Conserved consensus sequences from known hepatitis B virus strains and known hepatitis C virus strains, which are useful in inhibiting the expression of the viruses in mammalian cells, are provided. These sequences are useful to silence the genes of HBV and HCV, thereby providing therapeutic utility against HBV and HCV viral infection in humans.

The invention features compositions and methods for delivering small interfering (siRNAs), e.g., shRNAs, to host cells using non-pathogenic strains of Salmonella bacteria containing nucleic acid expression constructs encoding shRNAs. In this process, shRNA expressed by the Salmonella silences or knocks down genes of interest (target genes) inside target cells. The nucleic acid expression constructs of the invention include an RNA polymerase (e.g., a T7 polymerase), an RNA polymerase promoter (e.g., a T7 polymerase promoter), and an RNA polymerase terminator (e.g., a T7 polymerase terminator). The Salmonella bacteria can also include, on the same or different nucleic acid construct, an endosomal release factor (e.g., HlyA).

The invention belongs to the field of plant biotechnology, in particular provides a polygalacturonase arrestin gene CaPGIP1 cloned from hot pepper, the gene can specially inhibit the activity of polygalacturonase (PGs) secreted by pathogenic bacteria. The invention provides the function verification techniques based on the coding of the gene, such as protein making, enzyme activity testing, gene silencing, transgenic excessive expression and the like and the application of the techniques. Based on the gene and protein operation technology, the CaPGIP1 gene is proved to effectively participate in the defense reaction of hot pepper under the induction of a stress facto, and can inhibit the activity of polygalacturonase (PGs) secreted by various pathogenic bacteria. The gene silence and transgenic technology are further used for proving that the silence or less expression of the gene in the hot pepper reduces the disease resistance of a host, and the excessive expression of the gene in the transgenic tobacco can enhance the resistance; therefore, the gene codes an important disease-resistance related protein. The invention provides an important technological reserve for transforming the polygalacturonase arrestin (PGIP) gene and cultivating a new disease-resistant variety.

The present invention provides recombinant DNA constructs for inactivation of viral or endogenous genes in a cell, wherein the construct comprises viral sequence sufficient to activate RNA silencing. In another aspect, the invention provides methods for identifying RNA silencing suppressors by sequence analysis and functional tests. In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for identifying inhibitors of RNA silencing suppressors. In still other aspects, the invention comprises methods for identifying genes in the antiviral RNA silencing pathway, enhancers of the antiviral pathway, and methods of treating or preventing viral infections using enhancers of the pathway.

The present invention relates, in general, to RNA silencing and, in particular, to a method of effecting targeted delivery of an RNA silencing moiety using a targeting moiety that binds to a cell surface receptor and mediates internalization of the RNA silencing moiety to be accessible to Dicer. Also provided is a chimeric nucleic acid molecule comprised of a targeting moiety and an RNA silencing moiety, wherein the targeting moiety is an aptamer and the RNA silencing moiety comprises a Dicer substrate.

The invention relates to a gene relevant to papillary thyroid tumors and an application thereof. According to the base sequence of the gene, real-time and quantitative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) primers are designed and synthesized; the expression level of long-chain non-coding RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) transcribed by the gene is detected in a papillary thyroid carcinoma clinical case specimen; the result shows remarkable reducing of the expression level of the long-chain non-coding RNA in papillary thyroid tumor tissues and the long-chain non-coding RNA of the gene silencing can remarkably promote the growth of thyroid cancer cells. The gene relevant to the papillary thyroid tumors is expected to prepare preparations used in papillary thyroid carcinoma auxiliary diagnosis, gene therapy, curative effect prediction or prognosis.

This invention provides UNA oligomers for gene silencing with reduced off-target effects. The UNA oligomers can have a first strand and a second strand, each of the strands being 19-29 monomers in length, the monomers being UNA monomers and various nucleic acid monomers. Embodiments include pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating or preventing TTR-related amyloidosis with reduced off-target effects by administering a UNA oligomer to a subject.

This invention provides UNA oligomers for selectively inhibiting V30M TTR expression, which can be used in treating amyloidosis. The UNA oligomers can have a first strand and a second strand, each of the strands being 19-29 monomers in length, the monomers being UNA monomers and nucleic acid monomers. Embodiments include pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating or preventing TTR-related amyloidosis by administering a UNA oligomer to a subject.

This invention provides UNA oligomers for selectively inhibiting V30M TTR expression, which can be used in treating amyloidosis. The UNA oligomers can have a first strand and a second strand, each of the strands being 19-29 monomers in length, the monomers being UNA monomers and nucleic acid monomers. Embodiments include pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating or preventing TTR-related amyloidosis by administering a UNA oligomer to a subject.

The present invention discloses that vertebrate viruses encode RNA silencing suppressors / expressional enhancers which enable them to overcome host intracellular defense responses. This has paved the way for the development of protein production systems and for production systems of (recombinant) virus particles, and of vaccines directed against vertebrate viruses.

Methods and kits for determining the specificity of siRNAs for their targets are provided. Also provided is a method for performing genetic analysis of the target protein or gene using different versions of a synthetic gene to complement the phenotype induced by RNAi-mediated silencing of the target protein and / or gene of interest. Finally, a method for treating genetic disorders associated with production of mutated proteins is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to the discovery of a method for inhibiting RNA silencing in a target sequence-specific manner. RNA silencing requires a set of conserved cellular factors to suppress expression of gene-encoded polypeptide. The invention provides compositions for sequence-specific inactivation of the RISC component of the RNA silencing pathway, and methods of use thereof. The RISC inactivators of the present invention enable a variety of methods for identifying and characterizing miRNAs and siRNAs, RISC-associated factors, and agents capable of modulating RNA silencing. Therapeutic methods and compositions incorporating RISC inactivators and therapeutic agents identified through use of RISC inactivators are also featured.

Disclosed are methods of attenuating activity of the PME-1 gene. siRNAs or shRNAs are used to target against PME-1, thereby reducing the PME-1 mRNA. It is disclosed that the siRNAs or shRNAs targeted against PME-1 attenuate the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, thereby inhibit endometrial cancer development. A kit containing siRNA or shRNA reagents for attenuating the PME-1 gene expression is also disclosed.

The invention discloses a preparation method for a plant mutant. The preparation method comprises the following steps that T1, a CRISPR / cas9 gene knockout vector is constructed, and a CYP78A13 gene isknocked out; T2, agrobacterium is transformed; T3, gene knockout detection is carried out; and T4, phenotype identification is carried out on a transgenic plant. According to the preparation method for the plant mutant, a rice cell nucleus fertility gene serves as a target gene, gene knockout is carried out by using CRISPR / cas9 gene silencing, the function is lost after gene silencing, a cell isdeveloped into a complete plant, but the complete plant does not have pollen which is developed to have normal functions, and the plant mutant can be taken as a research object and used for creating asterile line.

The present invention provides recombinant DNA constructs for inactivation of viral or endogenous genes in a cell, wherein the construct comprises viral sequence sufficient to activate RNA silencing. In another aspect, the invention provides methods for identifying RNA silencing suppressors by sequence analysis and functional tests. In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for identifying inhibitors of RNA silencing suppressors. In still other aspects, the invention comprises methods for identifying genes in the antiviral RNA silencing pathway, enhancers of the antiviral pathway, and methods of treating or preventing viral infections using enhancers of the pathway.

The invention features compositions and methods for delivering small interfering (siRNAs), e.g., shRNAs, to host cells using non-pathogenic strains of Salmonella bacteria containing nucleic acid expression constructs encoding shRNAs. In this process, shRNA expressed by the Salmonella silences or knocks down genes of interest (target genes) inside target cells. The nucleic acid expression constructs of the invention include an RNA polymerase (e.g., a T7 polymerase), an RNA polymerase promoter (e.g., a T7 polymerase promoter), and an RNA polymerase terminator (e.g., a T7 polymerase terminator). The Salmonella bacteria can also include, on the same or different nucleic acid construct, an endosomal release factor (e.g., HlyA).

We have developed a versatile plant viral vector system based on Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV), suitable for infection by agroinfiltration or in vivo T7 transcripts from the same clone; agroinfection is enhanced by coinfiltration of a T7 RNA polymerase construct. Variants adapted for efficient protein expression, or for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), are based on a specific amino acid substitution (L88P) in the triple gene block 1 (TGB1) protein affecting RNA silencing suppression. A bipartite delivery system developed for AltMV delivers replicase (RdRp) functions separately from movement and encapsidation (TGB and coat protein, CP) functions by agroinfiltration, resulting in precise recombination of RdRp and TGB-CP constructs in planta. The bipartite delivery system has potential for high throughput protein expression or VIGS with the appropriate TGB1 variant, for hosts including Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana. Equivalent TGB1 substitutions in other potexviruses also reduced RNA silencing suppression, demonstrated with Potato virus X.

Chemically modified small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that include both phosphorodithioate modifications (PS2-RNA) and 2′-O-methyl modifications (MePS2) provide improved RNA silencing. Specific chemically modified siRNA that show enhanced silencing of RNAs involved in resistance to chemotherapeutic agents are provided.

An expression cassette for gene silencing and replacement, including, in operable communication, a promoter, an expression attenuator, a nucleotide sequence encoding a gene for a replacement target protein, and an shRNA sequence for knockdown of an endogenous variant of the target protein, wherein the promoter, the expression attenuator, the nucleotide sequence encoding the gene for the replacement target protein, and the shRNA are expressed as a single transcript. Also included are expression vectors and cells. Also included are methods of silencing and replacement of a target gene in a cell in culture by transforming the cells with the expression vectors described herein. Also included are minimal expression cassettes suitable for therapeutic methods.

A method of enhancing expression of at least one desired gene product in a plant, comprises transgenically introducing a Tombusvirus p19 / R43W mutant gene (SEQ. ID NO: 3) into the plant, expressing at least one desired gene product in the plant, wherein expression of said product is susceptible to RNA silencing; and co-expressing the transgenically introduced p19 / R43W, to produce an amount of P19 / R43W mutant protein (SEQ. ID NO: 4) sufficient to suppress silencing of expression of said desired gene product.

The invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule comprising a functional promoter of a herpesvirus, a functional enhancer of a herpesvirus, and one or more internal elements of the CpG island of the aprt (adenine phosphoribosyl transferase) gene and / or a functional variant thereof. A method of producing a desired polypeptide using the nucleic acid molecule, a vector and a host cell containing the nucleic acid molecule are also disclosed.

A method of enhancing expression of at least one desired gene product in a plant, comprises transgenically introducing a Tombusvirus p19 / R43W mutant gene (SEQ. ID NO: 3) into the plant, expressing at least one desired gene product in the plant, wherein expression of said product is susceptible to RNA silencing; and co-expressing the transgenically introduced p19 / R43W, to produce an amount of P19 / R43W mutant protein (SEQ. ID NO: 4) sufficient to suppress silencing of expression of said desired gene product.