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RNA-dependent RNA polymerases in RNA silencing
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Yoshiko Maida
Published/Copyright:
July 25, 2011
Abstract
RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs) synthesize double-stranded RNAs that are processed into small RNAs and mediate gene silencing. Viral RdRPs and cellular RdRPs show little structural homology to each other. Cellular RdRPs play key roles in RNA silencing by producing complementary strands for target RNAs via Dicer-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Although the existence of a functional mammalian homolog of RdRP has long been predicted, traditional approaches to identify such enzymes were unsuccessful. Recently, human telomerase reverse transcriptase, a polymerase closely related to viral RdRPs, has been shown to function as an RdRP and contributes to RNA silencing in vivo. These findings suggest that endogenous small interfering RNAs are produced by several mechanisms in eukaryotes.
Keywords: heterochromatin; human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT); RNA component of mitochondrial RNA processing endoribonuclease (RMRP); RNA silencing; small interfering RNA (siRNA)
Received: 2010-9-30
Accepted: 2010-12-1
Published Online: 2011-07-25
Published in Print: 2011-04-01
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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