RNA interference and its application progress in ophthalmology / 中华实验眼科杂志

ABSTRACT

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process triggered by the introduction of small double strand RNA (dsRNA),which leads to a specific degradation of messenger RNA and therefore regulate the expression of target gene.Being one of post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS),RNAi is found to extensively exist in the body.Some researches of ophthalmology showed that RNAi can be used to prevent and treat multiple eye diseases,including ocular neovascularization,anti-fibrosis,intraocular tumors,autoimmune uveoretinitis,etc.RNAi plays role in switching on and off the target gene.Because RNAi can inhibit gene expression specifically and efficiently,it has gained increasing attention in recent years.The basic concept,acting mechanics and character of RNAi and its application in ophthalmology were summarized.