A splicing component adapted to gene silencing

Abstract

Methods for gene silencing, such as RNA interference1 and antisense2, have transformed the study of molecular, cellular and organismal biology and opened up new therapeutic opportunities. In this issue, Gunderson and colleagues3, present an alternative technology for reducing gene expression based on approx25-nucleotide sequences called U1 adaptors. This approach could be applied to genes that are refractory to silencing by current methods or could be used in combination with other methods to achieve greater silencing potency..