RNA Interference Fact Sheet - National Institute of General Medical Sciences

What is RNA interference?
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that cells use to turn down, or silence, the activity of specific genes.
Discovered in 1998, RNAi has taken the biomedical community by storm. Researchers quickly capitalized on the discovery and developed RNAi into a powerful research tool that is now used in thousands of labs worldwide.

How does RNAi work?
RNAi works by destroying the molecular messengers that carry information coded in genes to the cell’s protein factories. These messengers, called messenger RNAs (mRNAs), carry out a critical function, without which a gene is essentially inactive.


How can I find out more about RNAi?
See the RNAi section of our Extras on Newsmaking Research page at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/News/Extras/default.htm#rnai.